Boleyn Smoulders Violence

Sydney-based pop artist BOLEYN has just let loose with a simmering track 'Violence' – produced and mixed by Clockwork Odyssey at their studios in the old World Bar complex and mastered by Peter Holz (Gang of Youths, Vance Joy, Peking Duk). 

Bearing similarities to Lana del Rey and drawing inspiration from influences such as The Black Keys and The National, 'Violence' is a seamless synthesis of dark guitar pop and chilling electronics that both soothes and stuns. The thrumming guitar, haunting strings and blush-inducing vocals build to a crescendo in the bridge, the tension increasing like a piece of thread drawn taught – ready to snap. 

"If he loves me, why won't he hurt me?" A friend was complaining her partner wasn't being aggressive enough in the bedroom and that seed buried itself in my mind. 'Violence' is fundamentally about consent. How do we communicate our sexual needs? What boundaries do we set? How is that expressed? What anxieties do we harbor about communicating our true desires? 'Violence' is about letting go everything except your needs and communicating those with honesty – you want bruises? You want it to hurt? To leave a mark? Cool, I'm game – you just need to ask," explains BOLEYN.

BOLEYN's latest single 're: 21 ' sparked critical acclaim from the likes of local tastemakers Triple J, Joy 94.9, FBi Radio, Pilerats, Purple Sneakers, MusicFeeds and The AU Review. The enigmatic artist has performed on the main stage at the fourth instalment of Victorian-based festival Gay Times, where he shared stages with the likes of Flint Eastwood, Kira Puru, Eliott and Maribelle. 

The 24-year old BOLEYN has spent the 2020 COVID19 isolation period working on new material, writing with ARIA nominated, platinum record producer Xavier Dunn (Peking Duk, Jack River, CXLOE) as well as Brisbane up-start Guy Stacey (GVY), perfecting a live show with a new band lineup. BOLEYN is more than ready to see COVID off with a fresh suite of songs crafted during his own time of self-isolation.