Asheville's gothic post-punk band Secret Shame release razor-sharp new single, "Victoria".
Secret Shame’s collective writing process establishes that they’re not willing to be pigeonholed into a single sub genre of post-punk. With their 2020 singles, “Dissolve” and “Pure,” the band grabbed hold of new sounds while still evoking similar feelings to previous releases. Lena Machina’s (she/they) vocals continue to expand from manic to soothing, and underneath the pretty facade of these songs lies self destructive lyrical content and hard emotions. Secret Shame may nod to 80s post-punk and new wave, but the sound they’ve created is all their own.
Their latest single “Victoria” is a razor-sharp post-punk ripper — the band was initially approached by Asheville playwright Jamieson Ridenhour to compose the theme song for his new play, Bloodbath: Victoria’s Secret, a new original horror/80’s slasher-themed homage that debuted in Asheville in mid-October. After falling in love with the script while on tour, Secret Shame accepted the challenge and penned “Victoria”.
Aster (she/her) creates sparkling guitar melodies that ebb and flow, sometimes lying beneath Matthew’s (he/him) eccentric basslines and at other times breaking through the fog of reverb. The rhythm between the bass and drums is driving, often in unison, but at times more of a conversation as Nathan Landolt’s (he/him) drumming lays the foundation and establishes layers of its own, while Lemon Malandra’s (she/her) striking guitar melodies shine throughout.