Protomartyr is an American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band formed in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, in 2010. The band consists of

Joe Casey Joe Casey is an American comic book writer. He has worked on titles such as '' Wildcats 3.0'', ''Uncanny X-Men'', '' The Intimates'', '' Adventures of Superman'', and '' G.I. Joe: America's Elite'' among others. As part of the comics creator grou ...

(vocals), Greg Ahee (guitar), Alex Leonard (drums), and Scott Davidson (bass). In 2020,

Kelley Deal Kelley Deal (born June 10, 1961) is an American musician and singer. She has been lead guitarist and co-vocalist of the alternative rock band The Breeders since 1992, and has formed her own side-projects with bands such as R. Ring and The Kelle ...

joined the band in a touring capacity, providing additional keyboards, guitar and backing vocals. To date, the band has released five studio albums: ''

No Passion All Technique ''No Passion All Technique'' is the debut album by American post-punk band Protomartyr. Released through Urinal Cake Records in 2012, the album went quickly out of print and subsequently became a "collector's item". In May 2019, the band reissued ...

'' (2012), '' Under Color of Official Right'' (2014), ''

The Agent Intellect ''The Agent Intellect'' is the third studio album by Detroit post-punk band Protomartyr, released on 9 October 2015. The first single from the album, "Why Does It Shake" was released on 14 July 2015, along with the formal announcement of the album ...

'' (2015), '' Relatives in Descent'' (2017) and ''

Ultimate Success Today ''Ultimate Success Today'' is the fifth studio album by American post-punk band Protomartyr. Thematically inspired by lead singer Joe Casey's mid-life crisis in the wake of the band's debut being reissued, the album - conceived as a "valediction ...

'' (2020).

History

Prior to Protomartyr, Greg Ahee and Alex Leonard performed as a duo under the name Butt Babies. They later started playing with

as Protomartyr. Kevin Boyer of Tyvek played bass and guitar in the band for a short time. In 2010, Scott Davidson joined on bass. The band released their debut album, ''

'', in 2012 via Urinal Cake Records. This was followed by the single "Colpi Proibiti" in the same year, via X! Records. Their second studio album, '' Under Color of Official Right'', was released in April 2014 via the

Hardly Art Hardly Art is an American independent record label based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in early 2007 by Sub Pop Records, Hardly Art is run by three full-time employees and is distributed by the Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA) and Sub Pop ...

record label. A third studio album, ''

'', followed in October 2015. The album was critically acclaimed, achieving an 85/100 on accumulator website

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, and featured in best of 2015 lists in ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'', ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'', ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', Metacritic, ''Spin'', and ''

Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...

''. Protomartyr signed to Domino Records in 2017, and released their fourth studio album, '' Relatives in Descent'', on the label in September 2017. The group's fifth album, ''

'', was originally scheduled to follow in May 2020, but was subsequently postponed to that July due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Musical style

Protomartyr's music has been labeled as

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

and punk rock. Josh Terry of ''

'' stated that the band "blends the moody atmospherics of ‘70s U.K. post-punk with the raw sensibility of their

Motor City Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

garage-rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

forebears." The band's sound was compared to other post-punk acts such as

Wire Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm A wire is a flexible strand of metal. Wire is c ...

, the Fall,

Pere Ubu Pere Ubu is an American rock group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. The band had a variety of long-term and recurring band members, with singer David Thomas being the only member staying throughout the band's lifetime. They released their d ...

the Constantines Constantines is an indie rock band from Guelph, Ontario, Canada. History Constantines was formed in 1999 by vocalist and guitarist Bryan Webb, drummer Doug MacGregor and guitarist Paul Bright, all of whom had played together in the emo band Sho ...

and

Iceage Iceage is a Danish punk rock band from Copenhagen. The band was formed in 2008 and has released the albums ''New Brigade'' (2011), ''You're Nothing'' (2013), ''Plowing Into the Field of Love'' (2014), ''Beyondless'' (2018), and ''Seek Shelte ...

, as well as local acts, most notably Tyvek. Vocalist Joe Casey also expressed appreciation for Pere Ubu and the Fall. His

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

vocals have been compared to

Ian Curtis Ian Kevin Curtis (15 July 1956 – 18 May 1980) was an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He was best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and lyricist of the post-punk band Joy Division, with whom he released the albums ''Unknown P ...

Joy Division Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Sumner and Hook formed the band after attend ...

Mark E. Smith Mark Edward Smith (5 March 1957 – 24 January 2018) was an English singer, who was the lead singer, lyricist and only constant member of the post-punk group the Fall. Smith formed the band after attending the June 1976 Sex Pistols gig at the ...

of the Fall, and

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian singer, songwriter, poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, composer and occasional actor. Known for his baritone voice and for fronting the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Ca ...

Influence

Protomartyr have been cited as an influence by modern punk and post-punk bands such as

Shame Shame is an unpleasant self-conscious emotion often associated with negative self-evaluation; motivation to quit; and feelings of pain, exposure, distrust, powerlessness, and worthlessness. Definition Shame is a discrete, basic emotion, d ...

, Idles,

Priests A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in p ...

The Dirty Nil The Dirty Nil is a Canadian rock band from Hamilton, Ontario,"The Dirty Nil: Who's Ne ...

Vundabar Vundabar is an American indie rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. The band consists of Brandon Hagen (vocals, guitar), Drew McDonald (drums, synthesizer), and Zack Abramo (bass). Vundabar released their first full-length album in 2013 titled '' ...

Meat Wave Meat Wave is an American punk band from Chicago, Illinois, United States. Their music is described as post-something, melancholic and aggressive. They have released four albums.https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/meat-wave/meat-wave-share-what-wo ...

, Rendez-Vous, Dehd,

Citizen Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...

TV Priest TV Priest are an English rock band formed in London in 2019. The band consists of Charlie Drinkwater (vocals), Nic Bueth (bass and keyboard), Alex Sprogis (guitar), Ed Kelland (drums). History They signed to Sub Pop after only having played on ...

, and The Devil Wears Prada. In an interview with

Beats Per Minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

in August 2020, Casey revealed that the lyric "''shouted slogans of leapers''" from the track "The Aphorist" off of ''

'' is a reference to "the young bands

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

I feel are attacking us and doing a shitty job at it, or a watered down version of us. But then the next line is 'Why didn't I smash the copier when I was through?' Because, when we started, people accused us of copying bands and not being original. So who am I complaining about those shitty bands when once I was a copier?" In addition, the band has many notable fans.

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of ...

has called them "the best band we’ve got in America right now" on his Radio 6 Music show.

Ana da Silva Ana da Silva is a musician, best known as a founding member of post-punk rock band the Raincoats. Career Born in Madeira island of Portugal, she grew up without television and little access to popular culture. She had exposure to music throu ...

The Raincoats The Raincoats are a British experimental post-punk band. Ana da Silva (vocals, guitar) and Gina Birch (vocals, bass) formed the group in 1977 while they were students at Hornsey College of Art in London. Signed to the label Rough Trade, the ...

has called the band's music "so exciting and passionate and carries you to places where their imagination opens doors to yours" and praised ''Relatives in Descent''.

Greg Dulli Greg Dulli (born May 11, 1965) is an American musician from Hamilton, Ohio. Debuting as a member of the rock band the Afghan Whigs in 1986, Dulli has been a member of the Twilight Singers, Gutter Twins, and in 2020 released his debut solo albu ...

The Afghan Whigs The Afghan Whigs are an American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio. They were active from 1986 to 2001 and have since reformed as a band. The group – with core members Greg Dulli (vocals, rhythm guitar), Rick McCollum (lead guitar), and John Cur ...

is a fan of the band as is

David Bazan David Bazan (; born January 22, 1976) is an American indie rock singer-songwriter from Phoenix, Arizona who now resides in Seattle, Washington. Bazan is the lead singer and creative force behind the band Pedro the Lion and was the lead singer ...

Pedro the Lion Pedro the Lion is an American indie rock band from Seattle, Washington, United States. David Bazan formed the band in 1995 and represented its main creative force, backed by a varying rotation of collaborating musicians. In 2006 Pedro the Lion wa ...

, the latter of whom called their music "the most perfect distillation of my taste in the world" and covered " The Devil in His Youth" for the 2017 anti-

Trump Trump most commonly refers to: * Donald Trump (born 1946), 45th president of the United States (2017–2021) * Trump (card games), any playing card given an ad-hoc high rank Trump may also refer to: Businesses and organizations * Donald J. T ...

compilation ''Our First 100 Days''.

The Breeders The Breeders are an American alternative rock band based in Dayton, Ohio, consisting of members Kim Deal (rhythm guitar, lead vocals), her twin sister Kelley Deal (lead guitar, vocals), Josephine Wiggs (bass guitar, vocals) and Jim Macpherson ...

, an admirer of the band, has gone on to collaborate with them on numerous releases (most notably 2018's ''Consolation'' EP) and even played with them live on numerous dates as a special guest. When asked to name some of his more recent influences in 2017,

Billy Gould William David Gould (born April 24, 1963 in Los Angeles, California) is an American musician and producer. He is best known as the bassist of Faith No More. Biography Early years Billy said he is of Hungarian descent from his father's side. ...

Faith No More Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before settling on the current name in July 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/r ...

named Protomartyr alongside musicians such as

Burial Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

and

Getatchew Mekurya Getatchew Mekurya (Amharic: ጌታቸው መኩሪያ ወልደ ተክሌ; 14 March 1935 – 4 April 2016) was an Ethiopian jazz saxophonist. Early career Mekurya was born on 14 March 1935, in Yifat, Ethiopia. His father was a honey merchant. ...

as those who " ake himwant to continue making music."

Band members

Current members *

– vocals * Greg Ahee – guitar * Alex Leonard – drums * Scott Davidson – bass guitar Touring members *

- keyboards, guitar, backing vocals (2020–present)

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' (2012, Urinal Cake Records) * '' Under Color of Official Right'' (2014,

) * ''

'' (2015, Hardly Art) * '' Relatives in Descent'' (2017, Domino) * ''

'' (2020, Domino)

EPs

*''

Consolation Consolation, consolement, and solace are terms referring to psychological comfort given to someone who has suffered severe, upsetting loss, such as the death of a loved one. It is typically provided by expressing shared regret for that loss an ...

'' (2018, Domino)

Live albums

*''Rosé, a Fine Wine to Be Enjoyed by Couples or Friends at Any Occasion'' (2012, Double Tapes) *''Vari-Speed Mithridates'' (2013, Gold Tapes) *''Dredging the Grotto'' (2015, none) *''Security by Shadow'' (2020, none)

Singles

*"Dreads 85 84" (7") (2012, Urinal Cake Records) *"Colpi Proibiti" (7") (2012, X! Records) *"Dope Cloud" (2015, Hardly Art) *"Scum, Rise!" (2015, Hardly Art) *"Jumbo's (Live)" (2015, Joyful Noise) *"580 Memories" (2015, Joyful Noise) *"Born to Be Wine" (2016,

dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representati ...

*"My Children" (2017, Domino) *"Don't Go to Anacita" (2017, Domino) *"Wheel of Fortune" (2018, Domino) *"Processed by the Boys" (2020, Domino) *"Worm in Heaven" (2020, Domino) *"Michigan Hammers" (2020, Domino) *"Old Spool and Gurges 1" (2020, fund-raising

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

-only release of two previously-released songs: "Born to be Wine" and "French Poet")

Split and collaborative releases

*''A Half of Seven'': "Blues Festival"/"Loud Underneath" (with

R. Ring Kelley Deal (born June 10, 1961) is an American musician and singer. She has been lead guitarist and co-vocalist of the alternative rock band The Breeders since 1992, and has formed her own side-projects with bands such as R. Ring and The Kelley ...

) (2015, Hardly Art) *''Live at Vera'': "Uncle Mother's"/"Barfuß durch die Scherben" (with Die Nerven) (2017, Roekie) *''Irony Prompts a Party Rat'': "Corinthian Leather"/"Bags & Cans" (with Spray Paint) (2018, Monofonus Press) *''Telemetry at Howe Bridge'': "Pontiac '87"/"Forbidden" (with

Preoccupations Preoccupations is a Canadian post-punk band from Calgary, Alberta, formed in 2012 under the name Viet Cong. The band consists of Matt Flegel (vocals, bass), Scott Munro (guitar, synth), Daniel Christiansen (guitar) and Mike Wallace (drums). Fle ...

) (2018, Domino)

References

External links

Official website
*

{{Authority control American post-punk music groups Hardly Art artists Indie rock musical groups from Michigan Punk rock groups from Michigan Musical groups established in 2008 Musical groups from Detroit Musical quartets Domino Recording Company artists