L.S. Dunes
Violet


4.2
excellent

Review

by Dakota West Foss STAFF
January 28th, 2025 | 79 replies


Release Date: 01/31/2025 | Tracklist

Review Summary: L.S. Dunes reintroduce themselves as a group to pay attention to on its own merit, blowing their debut out of the water in (nearly) every way.

When L.S. Dunes first revealed themselves sporting a lineup consisting of members from Circa Survive, Coheed and Cambria, Thursday, and My Chemical Romance, it seemed like a proposition that might be too good to be true to anyone who had ever donned fingerless gloves or checkerboard Vans. While Anthony Green had proven himself capable of playing chameleon* before with the dozens of acts he has linked himself to over the decades, expectations might prove themselves to be a bit too much with the weight of the other, high-profile members choosing this outlet to break years of silence (Coheed guitarist Travis Stever still counts in this regard, as he has only been allowed to play licks that mirror Claudio Sanchez’s vocal melodies or contort the familiar “Blood Red Summer” riff for the umpteenth time over the last decade).The group couched these expectations a bit by insisting this was just a group of dudes that circled each other’s orbit for years finally getting a chance to play together and have some fun. While their debut, Past Lives, was more than good enough to justify its existence to an all-too-hungry audience of increasingly-elder millennials, it also was not not a group of dudes that circled each other’s orbit for years finally getting a chance to play together and have some fun.

*This is your reminder that he has an EDM collaboration with Avril Lavigne!

Things could’ve been left at that and the group would have cemented itself as a brief and entertaining curious footnote in several Wikipedia articles; thank goodness they didn’t. In a surprising turn of events, L.S. Dunes has not only continued to exist, but has even become the main vehicle for prolific frontman Anthony Green to anchor himself to. It’s with this newfound sense of commitment from all involved that we find the group’s second effort Violet, and it’s superior to the first in every way imaginable.

Well, almost. Truth be told, opener “Like Magick” is the weakest song on offer that sounds like a weaker stab at Past Lives’ “2022." There’s an entirely-too-long acapella introduction that is only met with a dull and rather rudderless instrumental backing, only somewhat redeemed by an explosive guitar solo finale. It’s far from a terrible song, but the pieces never really come together the way they feel like they should. Which is surprising, considering the rest of the album is nothing but all the pieces coming together exactly like they should.

Violet’s biggest victory is not only sounding like the sum of its lofty parts, but also having a personality that’s distinctly its own. Take the title track, which successfully weaves together the propulsive rhythms of Thursday with Frank Iero’s twinkly melodrama from My Chemical Romance, and even an “Al the Killer” style freak-out from Travis (I can’t say this enough: FREE HIM). Of course, Anthony Green’s distinct vocals take center stage and he continues his renaissance that began with his impeccable 2022 run with vocals that sound refined and mature. The elevator pitch obviously remains that these high-profile dudes are coming together somewhat free of the obligations from the works that made them famous, but this time the results sound as well-crafted as the billing would suggest. “Machines” is a triumphant piece of faux-mall emo that would make a fine addition to any emo karaoke night’s setlist if Anthony’s vocals weren’t laughably impossible to replicate, with so much happening under the hood that it makes my head spin. Travis and Frank somehow make their distinct playing styles work in just the right amount over an infectious thick bassline that would beckon even the scoliosis-est of 30-somethings to risk it all for a few minutes.

All that to say, Will Yip is a wizard on production. “You Deserve to Be Haunted” is a noisy and chaotic whirlwind that could have easily turned into an incomprehensible mess, but he manages to make each and every layer distinct enough to coalesce and form a true sonic tapestry. That same proper spacing really elevates “Holograms” into a slithering, badass cacophony that could almost pass as a scene version of The Gorillaz if it weren’t for Anthony Green and Damon Albarn’s stark vocal differences. “Forgiveness,” while likely to become the most controversial song here, closes things on one hell of a note. It’s about as subtle as a bat to the face, but it’s a gloriously emotional finale that just goesfor it with Anthony belting an anthemic plea (“With all our heart/we beg forgiveness/for everything we ever said and everything we made”) that either stops just short of saccharine, or goes a mile over the line. Either way, it’s hard not to get a little choked up as the group throws everything from synthetic strings and anthemic power chords to a pulse-pounding buildup together while Green shouts “alive like this, tonight!” knowing the struggles he and the other members of the group have overcome throughout the years.

To be clear, Violet isn’t a Black Parade or a Blue Sky Noise or a Good Apollo or A War All the Time. And thank goodness it’s not trying to be. Rather than live in the shadow of the works that built its billing, L.S. Dunes have pressed forward to reintroduce themselves as a group that not only honors their legacies, but expands them.



Recent reviews by this author
The Halo Effect March of the UnheardAdvance Base Horrible Occurrences
Kendrick Lamar GNXLady Gaga Harlequin
Charli XCX BratTaylor Swift The Tortured Poets Department (Anthology)
user ratings (84)
3.6
great
related reviews

Past Lives


Comments:Add a Comment 
Odal
Staff Reviewer
January 28th 2025


2654 Comments

Album Rating: 4.2

Out friday.

onionbubs
January 28th 2025


22819 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

pretty excited for this, only heard machines but i really liked it

Calc
January 28th 2025


17527 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

last album was super mid I'm looking forward to this if its better

Cormano
January 28th 2025


4291 Comments


stoked

Squiggly
January 28th 2025


1387 Comments


Sweeeeeet

twlight
January 28th 2025


9445 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

Ok this is exciting

swallowtales
January 28th 2025


664 Comments


Hyped for this, loved their first record and everything seems to point to this being awesome so far

Pikazilla
January 28th 2025


31638 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

oh yes

artificialbox
Contributing Reviewer
January 28th 2025


3205 Comments


hype

Orb
January 28th 2025


9542 Comments


So far this one is shaping up to be better than the first. And that one was good, just not consistently awesome. Hoping for the best here, since the potential is there.

KillingMoon
January 28th 2025


123 Comments


Exciting stuff. Good review

SteakByrnes
January 28th 2025


30646 Comments


Excited to hear this, the one single I heard was pretty good

Feather
January 28th 2025


10828 Comments


Loved their debut. I have been fairly lukewarm on the singles here so far, but excited to check out the whole album at once. Hyped it got such a high review though

GreyShadow
January 28th 2025


7428 Comments


the preview i heard of the t/t was amazing. gonna wait for friday doe. loved Machines. other 2 were alright so we'll see

OwMySnauze
January 28th 2025


2560 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

Couldn’t get into their debut, hoping this will be different

Nbehre11
January 28th 2025


324 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Great write up! Was already hyped, and this has me more so.

OwMySnauze
January 28th 2025


2560 Comments

Album Rating: 2.5

I just want more TTN type of jams

Dedes
Contributing Reviewer
January 29th 2025


11038 Comments


I remember when I saw these dudes live at Adjacent music fest and I thought
Damn this motherfucker sounds like the dude from Saosin and I didn't think that range was possible
And now my questions are all answered

Lasssie
January 29th 2025


2322 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

"last album was super mid I'm looking forward to this if its better (2)"

I like the musicians involved tho so looking forward to hearing this and from your review it sounds like it will be a step up from the debut

TooLateToGoBack
January 29th 2025


2110 Comments


Cover art is gorgeous.




You have to be logged in to post a comment. Login | Create a Profile





STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS // CONTACT US

Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


Site Copyright 2005-2023 Sputnikmusic.com
All Album Reviews Displayed With Permission of Authors | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy