Location: Fonda Theatre, 6126 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA, 90028
Date: Sep 10, 2025 – 8:30pm
Provoker, Choir Boy, Touching Ice, Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
Beneath the illusions and deceptions of Provoker’s poignant melodies lies a soul in search of clarity.
On their upcoming album, Demon Compass, set to release on October 13 of this year through the Swedish label YEAR0001, the California-based post-punk band looks within for solutions.
When Provoker first appeared, their narrative aligned closely with their infernal, no wave sound. The band’s primary songwriters, lyricist Christian Crow Petty and instrumentalist Jonathon Lopez, crossed paths at a screening of the 2016 black comedy film The Greasy Strangler. However, this encounter was not mere chance; while residing in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, amidst tattoo scenes and social circles, Petty’s older brother, Alex, introduced the two after learning that Lopez was in search of a talented vocalist. Appropriately, the elder Petty crafted the artwork for the Demon Compass album: a hand that presents the titular compass, adorned with winged figures converging at its northern point. Similar to the record’s sound, the artwork contrasts brightness with profound darkness. What is depicted is rife with tension. Demon Compass comprises a series of songs that collectively create an immersive experience. Portions of the album were recorded in Stockholm, Sweden, with producer Daniel Fagerström (Viagra Boys), who restructured the arrangements that Petty and Lopez had brought to the studio. “We wouldn’t have achieved some of the sounds on the records if we hadn’t done that,” Petty remarks. Demon Compass explores the band’s fascination with horror imagery and bleak soundscapes, narrating introspective tales of desire, loss, and personal growth. The standout track, “C Ur Face,” sets a benchmark for the album. “These days, I’m hanging by a thread / But tell my friends / I don’t wanna see your face again,” Petty sings. His delivery is languid, almost tinged with resentment, yet the R&B-inflected melody tempers the sentiment. Uncertain if isolation is the path to healing, the song oscillates between establishing distance and yearning for connection.
Producer Zach Fogarty (known for his work with Girlpool, Jean Dawson, and The Blssm) emphasizes Provoker’s melodic qualities while ensuring they do not dwell on or indulge in past sounds. “He dismantled it and reconstructed it into what it is today,” Petty reflects. Lopez’s synthesizers propel the project forward, buzzing with a sense of digital urgency and applying pressure through noise and other sonic manipulations only when necessary. The album plunges boldly into the unknown, showcasing courage in its uncertainty. On the track “A Fate Tightly Sealed,” a Baroque organ hovers while restless breaths echo it, concluding the first act of the album. “Endowed with a desire to suppress a lifelong craving,” the narrator articulates. “I now understand that it will never be sufficient.” This track illustrates an internal struggle, which is further examined in songs such as “It’s In My Head” and “Little Ghost.” Petty shares, “I simply want listeners to engage with it and perceive all the imagery I aim to convey.”
The band’s second album also includes a collaboration with musical collagist Eyedress, who contributed to the other half of the collaboration (“Faith In Love”) featured on their 2022 album FULL TIME LOVER. “Freezing Alive” intertwines crystalline synthesizers with dark, complementary vocal performances from Petty and Eyedress’ Idris Vicuña. “Sleight of Hand,” another highlight from the album, began as a guitar riff inspired by Pylon before evolving into a spiraling chamber of chrome-tinted drums and smoky, plucked guitar. “I’ll create magic with my hands,” Petty sings, merging the boundaries between his voice and the static.
Set to release on October 13 — Friday the 13th — Demon Compass sees Provoker revealing themselves and evolving amidst moments of desperate reality and divine insight. Although it carries a mournful tone, it paves a way forward for the band, drawing out more of the humanity in their storytelling while still safeguarding the cryptic, illusory imagery of their earlier work.
