Letting go. It\u2019s one of the hardest things human beings have to do in this life. And\u2014oftentimes\u2014we can\u2019t. After all, it\u2019s one of the reasons why we invented photography, the ability to capture single moments forever. There\u2019s an entire television show dedicated to hoarding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then there\u2019s the oldest and most obvious form of not being able to let go: cemeteries. Our entire species, for thousands of years, has created burial places for our dead because the living can\u2019t\u2014and don\u2019t want to\u2014fully let go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it\u2019s only appropriate that San Jose post-punk trio Provoker\u2014who play The Ritz on Saturday, headlining a bill with Choir Boy, Touching Ice and DJ Basura\u2014came up with this title for their latest album about letting go: Mausoleum.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was living in an attic in Echo Park in the house Jon [band founder Jonathan Lopez] lives in now,\u201d singer and lyricist Christian Petty explains. \u201cI was really isolating myself and writing a lot of songs from a ghost\u2019s perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like the track \u201cGermaphobe,\u201d with its lyrics from the perspective of a literal germaphobe who won\u2019t leave the house (and ironically\u2014in the video\u2014lives in squalor).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Petty says that while their 2021 full-length Body Jumper<\/em> is a collection of sci-fi songs about avoiding feelings, 2023\u2019s album, Demon Compass<\/em>, is about finally confronting those difficult emotions. So it was only natural for a next album about letting go and finding closure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaybe the albums are all connected but unintentionally,\u201d guitar player Jonathan Lopez says. \u201cThe first one is about escapism, followed by confrontation, followed by letting go. In that way they\u2019re connected, but that\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Which makes sense for a band that writes albums as their own movies. Each one with a common concept or theme strung throughout each song to build a bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll of our albums are anthology-ish,\u201d Petty says. \u201cThey\u2019re a bunch of different stories that don\u2019t seem connected but are.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n When we last caught up<\/a> with Provoker, they were following the path of their Demon Compass<\/em> release. They had a bicoastal tour with multiple sold-out dates and had booked an album release show in their new chosen home of Los Angeles. However, at the time this prolific band already had most of Mausoleum<\/em> done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe just had to work with [producer Kenny Beats] on the last 10 percent,\u201d Lopez explains. \u201cWe had to record the vocals and work on the production, but the bones were there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n And the production is definitely on point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mausoleum<\/em> stands as the band\u2019s most clearly produced album with samples and melodies in the foreground, highlighting their dark, gothic sound. Their videos also received the production treatment. Since Provoker started as a band to score the fake horror and sci-fi movies Lopez dreamed up in college, the band has always had a very visceral, visual aspect. Past videos like \u201cRose in a Glass\u201d or \u201cIt\u2019s in My Head\u201d are great examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, for Mausoleum<\/em> the band had a bigger budget, which meant a larger production team. Videos like \u201cAnother Boy,\u201d with the band as mannequins that come to life, or \u201cTears in the Club,\u201d with its retro videogame graphics, are evidence of the band\u2019s evolution and growing popularity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then there’s the video for the title track: a dark, Victorian-esque piece depicting Petty as a ghoul resurrected from his grave. Throughout it he follows his lost, living ex-love, who is now with someone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was super happy about that one,\u201d Petty says. \u201cWe steered it more into a paranormal direction instead of just a dead guy or zombie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keen-eyed viewers might also notice a blue, stuffed teddy bear popping up throughout the videos as a callback to the album\u2019s artwork: an \u201980s-style videogame graphic crane machine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy brother suggested we make the album cover a claw machine,\u201d Petty says. \u201cIt was so random to me at the time but he sent me a reference photo. I kept thinking about it and it seemed like a good idea. It\u2019s one of those things where if you see it, I feel like you want to pick it up and learn more about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A bigger album means a busier year and this past calendar year has been one of the greatest for the band to date. In July 2024 they played Sound & Fury Fest\u2014the<\/em> music festival for hardcore and hardcore-adjacent music based in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earlier this year they played another major Southern California festival, Cruel World, the 1980s-themed fest whose lineup consisted of bands like Devo, the Go-Go\u2019s, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds and New Order. Provoker also recently just got back from their European and United Kingdom tour, playing to new audiences in Dublin and Paris\u2014the latter of which also featured a stop at another major festival, Rock en Seine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the year isn\u2019t over yet and the band says they have at least one more major Bay Area show planned, so fans should keep their eyes and ears open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI feel like we still play a lot of shows in the Bay,\u201d Lopez says. \u201cWe\u2019re really lucky we can go back easily to visit family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Provoker\u2019s show begins 8pm on Sept 13 at The Ritz, 400 S First St, San Jose. Ages 16+. Tickets: $20\/$25. theritzsanjose.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On top of some big festival bookings, Provoker returns to San Jose to headline a bill that includes Choir Boy, Touching Ice and DJ Basura.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14789,"featured_media":20184004,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_expiration-date-status":"","_expiration-date":0,"_expiration-date-type":"","_expiration-date-categories":[],"_expiration-date-options":[]},"categories":[34],"tags":[9554,20521,6029],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n