The birth of a new supergroup is always something that is met with a mixture of trepidation and excitement, questions as to the extent of the project and how the respective musical styles and personalities will mesh. L.S. DUNES have to put those doubts to bed from the start, teasing the members’ identities over the last couple of months and then releasing a barrage of information all at once: a pre-order for their upcoming debut full-length, a comprehensive set of live tour dates, accompanied by a spectacular debut single in “Permanent Rebellion” which meshes together all the staple sounds of their celebrated line-up into a neat and dense package that feels like it was just waiting to be made.
Luminaries from the highest echelons of the post-hardcore and alternative scenes have come together in what is clearly a thought out and passionate project: Anthony Green of Circa Survive fame and a dozen other influential post-hardcore projects fronts L.S. DUNES’ vocals; Frank Iero (My Chemical Romance) and Travis Stever (Coheed and Cambria) lay down some bouncy and infectious guitars; and Thursday’s Tim Payne and Tucker Rule give the band its instrumental backbone, playing bass and drums respectively. To top it off, their upcoming record, Past Lives, was produced by Will Yip, who has produced for Turnstile and Circa Survive.
Unshackled from the expectations and aesthetics of their already successful careers, L.S. DUNES inject punk energy into their heavy anthems, carving a new sound for the post-hardcore scene and continuing to define it as they each have for the last two decades. This sets the scene for the themes the band are not afraid to tackle: dependency, nonconformity, and impermanence. “Permanent Rebellion”, the first taste of the band’s collaborative mastery, wraps up with the lyrics, ‘I don’t want to be a victim here, another victim here. Tongue tied in distress, buried in your favourite dress.’ “We wanted to do something where you can hear all our bands in it and yet, not have it sound like any one in particular,” Rule explains. “Our roots are punk rock and hardcore, and the vibe is hope for all the lost souls.”
In many ways, the pandemic has defined the music scene of the last three years, and that is also true of this latest endeavour; live shows ground to a halt, resulting in Thursday hosting a Christmas live event in which Iero participated as a guest vocalist. These were the first seeds of what was to become L.S. Dunes. ‘We never knew if we would ever get to play these songs together,” admits Iero. “In, fact none of us lifelong musicians really knew if we’d ever be able to play music for a live audience ever again. “Permanent Rebellion” is about taking back what is rightfully yours.”
The names of these iconic members are enough to make waves alone, but L.S. DUNES have come storming out of the gates with a phenomenal, intense track which repays that faith in full. Unlike many supergroups, L.S. DUNES have shown from day one that they are more than the sums of their parts, and that the end product is their priority above all. With the band set to play their debut show at Riot Fest in Chicago in a matter of weeks (September 16th) and set to release Past Lives to the world on November 11th, it is an exciting time to be a fan of any and all of these virtuosos.
Past Lives will release November 11th via Fantasy Records. You can pre-order the record here and view the tracklist and artwork below, alongside a complete list of L.S. DUNES tour dates. Go buy a vinyl and support the band. For a full review of Past Lives and further coverage of this exciting new supergroup, stick with Boolin Tunes.
01. 2022
02. Antibodies
03. Grey Veins
04. Like Forever
05. Blender
06. Past Lives
07. It Takes Time
08. Bombsquad
09. Grifter
10. Permanent Rebellion
11. Sleep Cult
L.S. DUNES – Tour Dates 2022
09.16 – Chicago, IL – RIOT FEST
10.08 – Sacramento, CA – AFTERSHOCK FESTIVAL
11.12 – Garden Grove, CA – Garden Amphitheater
11.13 – San Francisco, CA – Bimbo’s 365 Club
11.14 – Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour
11.18 – Mexico City, Mexico – Corona Capital
11.22 – Toronto, Ontario – Velvet Underground
11.25 – Asbury Park, NJ – Asbury Lanes
11.26 – Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church
11.27 – Boston, MA – The Sinclair
11.29 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
11.30 – Baltimore, MD – Ottobar