Provoker formed a decade ago as a medium for Jonathon Lopez’s horror and sci-fi film scores but eventually expanded into an unmissable trio. “[It was] just me messing around in Ableton trying to create soundtrack music,” he says of their origins. “On the very early recordings, I was singing, but I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to find someone who was good at singing, and I met Christian [Crow Petty] through his older brother. When I heard Christian’s stuff, I could just see it.”
The post-punk band — rounded out by bassist Wil Palacios — have since released two studio albums, 2021’s Body Jumper and 2023’s Demon Compass. Their next, Mausoleum, out May 9 via YEAR0001, digs inward, reflecting Petty’s headspace while alone in an Echo Park attic, but it’s one of their most collaborative yet. Executive-produced by Kenny Beats, the album enlists help from a group of their friends, including Elliott Kozell (Yves Tumor, SZA), Simon Christensen (Gunna, Young Thug), Mikey Freedom Hart (Blood Orange, Lana Del Rey), and Zach Fogarty (Jean Dawson, Eyedress).
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While Provoker never lost their love of horror, they fixate on everyday hauntings (dread, regret, isolation, etc.) and lean into tense groove on their latest single, “Another Boy.” Its music video, directed by Andrea Riba, matches the ominous mood, starring the three members as trapped, dead-eyed mannequins.
See the video for Provoker’s “Another Boy,” plus the LP artwork and tracklist, below.
Provoker – Mausoleum tracklist
- “Swarm of Flies”
- “Tears In The Club”
- “Prisoner of Love”
- “Pantomime”
- “Germaphobe”
- “Another Boy”
- “Gun2MyHead”
- “Glow In The Dark”
- “Mausoleum”
- “Singing Gun”
- “Replay”