Jonathon Lopez started Provoker as a solo effort, designing scores for sci-fi and horror films. Vocalist and songwriter Christian Crow Petty and bassist Wil Palacios later joined Lopez, creating the beloved synth pop trio that Provoker is today. They assembled Body Jumper -- an exploration of virtual worlds -- as their first studio album in 2021, following it with the fantasy-inspired Demon Compass two years later. Now, the Los Angeles-based band has just released their third complete body of work, Mausoleum, published by cult-favorite Swedish indie label YEAR0001.
Upon entry, the Mausoleum welcomes you with haunting vocals backed by eerie synths and lucid bass lines, all of which take form in an abundance of ghastly shapes throughout the album’s 30-minute runtime. Absent of features, the 11 tracks instead see Crow Petty morph his vocals, offering emotive crooning to gravelly growls as he tells stories that intertwine with one another across the album as an anthology -- melancholic singles like “Pantomime,” for example, illustrate how falling in love brings about a sense of insanity.
We caught up with two-thirds of Provoker -- Crow Petty and Lopez -- ahead of the album’s release today to discuss their creative process, Crow Petty’s excitement for playing Oblivion Remastered after shows while on tour, and, of course, Mausoleum.
Mausoleum is your third studio album to date. Where are you taking us this time?
Christian Crow Petty: We’ve explored sci-fi and fantasy settings with previous albums and this time around we’re based in reality. You can still expect the same supernatural feeling to it though.
Jonathon Lopez: From a music standpoint, it sounds bigger. We connected with Kenny Beats who ended up executive producing Mausoleum, beefing up the tracks without changing our personal sound.
Christian, your writing for the album was inspired by your time spent in an Echo Park attic. Can you walk me through what that experience was like?
JL: I’m in that attic right now.
Really?
CCP: Yeah he lives there now. Every member of the band has at some point, it’s a special place. The stairs to it lead right to the living room so I would hear people come over to the house but be too shy to come down. Instead, I haunted the place like a ghost with my creaky footsteps and faint singing in the background. A lot of songs on the album are written from this perspective of isolation.
We’re immediately thrust into a scene of heartbreak with the opening track, “Swarm of Flies.” How does this set the tone for the project?
CCP: It’s a devastating song. It’s partially inspired by Beauty and the Beast, and follows a heartbroken man who becomes a monster. This fantasy lens we use to evaluate real-world issues has become our signature approach to songwriting.
How’d you end up connecting with Kenny Beats?
JL: He hit us up on Instagram, and we ended up hanging out, not even planning to make music. Eventually, he picked a song to rework, and he killed it. Kenny joked that he had no idea if we liked him the first time we met, but we ended up hitting it off and we were excited to have him work on all of the album's songs.
"We got obsessed with recording skits, so after spending two hours completing a song, we’d then spend four hours writing a skit for it."
What was your favorite song on the album to make?
JL: Honestly, there isn’t one in particular that stood out. We made a ton of songs with Elliot Kozell [a producer who’s worked with the likes of SZA and Yves Tumor] and only a few ended up on the album.
CCP: The most fun ones with Elliot aren’t even out.
JL: We got obsessed with recording skits, so after spending two hours completing a song, we’d then spend four hours writing a skit for it.
CCP: The songs would pause in the middle and feature a minute and a half of dialogue and sound effects.
As a group that dives into whimsical and surreal themes, your music videos see you bring these to life. How do you approach the medium?
CCP: When I’m writing a song, I often find myself envisioning what the video would look like. There’s usually a story in the songwriting that lends itself to translating to video with ease. We’ll often have directors start by reviewing lyrics, and they’re typically able to pitch ideas that align with our vision based on just that.
Was the “Pantomime” MV your favorite one to film to date? Jumping around the bounce house together looks quite fun.
CCP: It’s funny because that song and “Another Boy” [the lead single with a music video] are the only ones on the album to not have a real-life scenario attached to them. Filming it was brutal. We all got sweaty, and I hurt my back trying to do a flip.
JL: As an adult, bounce houses suck. They’re a real workout. One thing you don’t realize as a kid is that you have so much energy to burn.
Another type of worldbuilding you’ve explored is creating your own video game. What inspired you to make it?
JL: The Demon Compass LP had a choose-your-own-adventure story that we wrote and later wanted to turn into a game. I sent out a few cold emails and ended up working with a game maker in Paris for a year as a project in the background. We went with PS2-style graphics, and the game ended up being really fun to work on. I definitely want to do more explorative projects like that.
"I just bought a Steam Deck yesterday after Jonathon put me on."
What are some of your favorite video games?
CCP: Elden Ring was a big part of my life. I went a little too deep playing that game so I don’t play it anymore. I bought a Steam Deck yesterday after Jonathon put me on. It’s pretty sweet, I also just got Oblivion Remastered.
I’ve been watching my friend play and it looks incredible.
JL: I’m afraid to buy it because I don’t want to spend too much time playing.
CCP: Well, we’re going to be on tour so that’s what I will do.
JL: When I bring my Steam Deck on tour, I end up in the hotel room too tired to play.
CCP: I have to do something before bed, whether it’s walking or watching something, so I’m excited to have this to play. The band will see blue light all night long in the hotel room.
Horror movies and other films have also been a point of inspiration for the band. Are there any cinematic works that have captivated your imagination lately?
JL: Ever since David Lynch died, I’ve been rewatching his movies and continue to deepen my adoration of his filmography. I always enjoyed it growing up, but as an adult, there are slower parts that I have a better appreciation for now.
"I don’t think about how hard something will be to perform when I’m making it, so I often end up hating my past self."
You’ve got your headline tour coming up. Other than assembling your Steam Deck setups, how are you preparing for it?
JL: Practicing a lot. The funny thing about making a song is you end up shelving it for an extended period of time and don’t learn to play it until it’s time to tour.
CCP: I don’t think about how hard something will be to perform when I’m making it, so I often end up hating my past self.
JL: Christian made the guitar riff in “Another Boy” and I have to learn it. As it turns out, it’s basically a guitar solo for the entire three and a half minutes. It has the most riffs of any songs we’ve ever made so I’m just shredding the whole time.
What about the tour are you most excited about?
JL: Cruel World [a festival held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California] will be fun. It takes place before the tour but will be a great way to kick things off. It’s also nice seeing our friends in different cities while we travel.
CCP: I’m especially excited to perform the new songs.
Is there anywhere you would love to perform some day?
JL: We haven’t done Japan yet, that would be cool.
CCP: I want to tour Asia for sure, I especially want to go to Taiwan.
In what setting do you recommend listening to Mausoleum for the first time?
CCP: In a pitch black room.
JL: Definitely alone.
What’s next for Provoker?
JL: We’ve got the tour lined up and nothing solid after that. We have a ton of songs we didn’t use, not to mention all of the skits too, so it would be cool to put that out in some way.
CCP: More videos.
JL: More videos would be fun.
Stream 'Mausoleum' -- out everywhere now -- and check out the band’s website for information regarding their upcoming North American tour.
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