Drab Majesty

Drab Majesty
Drab Majesty performing live in Warsaw, 2018
Background information
Origin	Los Angeles, California, US
Genres	Darkwave[1] dream pop[2] gothic rock[3] shoegaze[4]
Years active	2011–present
Labels	Dais
Associated acts	Marriages Black Mare VR Sex
Website	DrabMajesty.bandcamp.com
Members	Deb Demure Mona D

Drab Majesty is an American, Los Angeles-based musical project, founded by musician Deb Demure (Andrew Clinco) while working as the drummer for the band Marriages, in 2011.^[5] The project's first record was the 2012 EP Unarian Dances, first self-released and then re-released in 2014 on Lolipop Records.^[6] Since signing to Dais Records, Drab Majesty has released three albums - Careless (2015),^[7]The Demonstration (2017),^[8][9][10] and Modern Mirror (2019).^[11]

Drab Majesty combine androgynous aesthetics and commanding vocals with futuristic and occult lyrics, a style Demure refers to as, "tragic wave." To create his imposing stage presence, Demure employs costumes, makeup and props to accompany his lush, '80s-influenced soundscapes. Since 2016, when performing live, Demure is joined onstage by keyboardist and vocalist Mona D (Alex Nicolaou).^[12]

History[]

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The idea for Drab Majesty had come to Andrew Clinco in 2011 while drumming for the Los Angeles-based group Marriages. Interested in creating music where he performed all of the instruments himself, Clinco wrote and recorded several songs alone in his bedroom. Clinco stated that he felt some sense of alarm while playing back the music he had recorded, claiming that it was as if another person had made it. "Listening back I just didn’t feel like I was listening to myself [...] It sounded like someone else". This experience provided the inspiration for Clinco to create his alter ego, Deb Demure.^[13]

Drab Majesty's first effort, the EP Unarian Dances, was self-released in 2012. Initially limited to 100 cassette copies, the EP was later picked up and released by Lollipop Records.^[14] The record's title was inspired by the Unarian Academy, a UFO cult whose appearances on public-access television Demure described as being "intoxicating".^[13] The EP, which features some contributions from Emma Ruth Rundle, was described as a "space-age pastiche" and likened to the work of bands such as Slowdive.^[6]

Deb Demure performing live in Brooklyn, 2016

Drab Majesty signed with Dais Records in Spring of 2015^[15] and shortly thereafter released the single "Unknown to the I", which had been described as a "lo-fi take on the 80s".^[16] Careless, Drab Majesty's first full-length album, was released later that year. Recorded at Demure's home studio over the course of 2 years,^[15] Careless was inspired by a song a close friend of Demure's had written. "It [the song] affected me really deeply, so I wanted to make a record that was a nod to [my friend]".^[13] The album features what was described by Tiny Mix Tapes writer Grant Purdum as "mechanical beats, isolated ruminations, and stimulating guitar arpeggios that equate to more than the sum of their parts".^[17] Drab Majesty toured with Dais cohorts King Dude later that year. Westword contributor Tom Murphy described Drab Majesty's stage show as "more than just a rock show" and likened Demure to an "unconventional religious figure".^[18] The following year, Dais Records re-released the album with extra tracks featuring all studio material released thus far as a compilation titled Completely Careless. It consisted of all tracks from debut album Careless, plus the two B-sides from the Unknown to the I single, the five tracks of the Unarian Dances Limited Edition EP, new tracks Waiting Game and Silhouette, and a remix of The Foyer.

In 2016, Drab Majesty expanded into a duo with the addition of keyboardist Mona D.^[19] The son of horror director Ted Nicolaou, Mona D helped to enhance the group's theatrics while touring North America and Europe in 2016.^[8] The Demonstration, Drab Majesty's second studio album, was released in January 2017 to favorable reviews. The Demonstration is a concept album that deals with the psychology of mass suicide, referencing in particular the ideology of Marshall Applewhite, the leader of the Heaven's Gate cult.^[20] Zaina Abujebarah of SLUG Magazine called The Demonstration a "perfect" album that "transcends the glamour of nightlife and illustrates the complexities of feeling blue".^[21] Susana Meza of The Spill Magazine gave the album a 9 out of 10, saying that the album was "a phenomenal record by exceptional performers and quite the proper introduction to Drab Majesty for the uninitiated".^[22] CVLT Nation said that the album was "more than everything you dreamed it would be" and called it "a blend of postpunk vocals, sophisticated lyrics, ethereal synth sound, and shoegaze influence". The duo toured North America with Dais counterparts Cold Cave, and later toured Europe alongside King Dude, with whom they collaborated on the single "Who Taught You How to Love?" the year before.^[23]

In late 2017, the duo released a 7-inch single, titled "Oakwood", for the 10th anniversary celebration of Dais Records.^[24] The song was written in honor of Cash Askew, co-founder of the band Them Are Us Too, who died in the 2016 Oakland warehouse fire.^[25] The title "Oakwood", according to Demure, is a direct translation of Askew's name.^[26] The single featured a B-side called "Egress", an instrumental guitar piece.^[27] The duo embarked on their North American Fall From the Sky tour in September;^[28] the tour included a stop at the 2017 Cold Waves Festival in Chicago.^[29] They extended their tour to Europe in Winter of 2018.^[30]

Members[]

• Deb Demure (Andrew Clinco) - Vocals, Guitar, percussion (2011–present)
• Mona D (Alex Nicolaou) - Keyboards, vocals (2016–present)

Discography[]

Studio albums[]

• Careless (2015)
• The Demonstration (2017)
• Modern Mirror (2019)

Singles & EPs[]

• Unarian Dances (2012)
• "Unknown to the I" (2015)
• "The Heiress/The Demon" (2016)
• "Oak Wood" (2017)
• "Ellipsis" (2019)
• "Long Division" (2019)
• "Oxytocin" (2019)
• "Out of Sequence" (2019)
• "No Rain" (2020)

Compilations[]

• Completely Careless [2012-2015] (2016)

References[]