church fire

Church Fire – PUSSY BLOOD
Genre: Darkwave
Favorite Tracks: “every toss a tightening,” “slip,” “unused”

The dynamic of Church Fire, a duo of David Samuelson and Shannon Webber, shares an uncanny resemblance to that of Crystal Castles. Their inspiration on them is evident and Church Fire show comparable skill in terms of creating a balanced mix of electro-dance bangers and baleful electro-ballads.

“Everybody is half dead, and to me it is terrible.” It’s an admonishing, creepy voice sample that opens the album on “every toss a tightening,” and it’s soon caught up in a sonorous whirlwind of clinking synths and undulating samples, kicked about before dazzling currents and bass thrust Webber’s glitched-out code of a voice up in the mix. It lags back and forth, pushing in and out of focus; when there is a moment of clear rendering, we catch sight of a demon throbbing from a pixelated hellhole. PUSSY BLOOD, Church Fire’s 2016 release, plays out like a cyberpunk seance and the spirits conjured entrance just as much as they disturb.

Webber’s unmasked vocals present something almost soothing on “slip,” but never verge far from eerie lifelessness. It’s a steady buildup as our narrator awakes in a foggy hangover: “When you slip it’s comfortable.” However, once the situation at hand is illuminated, “your brain is dumb and numb / and stuck just an agitated scraping from a paralyzing fuck / it doesn’t count if you’re unconscious / no one know will know if you forget / why tell a changing story when you never even felt it,” the song nosedives immediately into a gauntlet of scraping, prodding synths. It’s a haunting recount of rape, and the meddling confusion and panic that comes in its wake. The victim sees denial as their only option, their salvation, and as the urgency of the song ramps up, so does their need to will it out of their existence. While the unfortunate and all too pertinent subject matter of the song burdens Church Fire with an unsettling familiarity, they are able to cast it aside. In Crystal Castles, Ethan Kath’s shadow uncomfortably loomed over Alice Glass, but Church Fire’s music suggests a different kind of relationship: a clear establishment of space and position in favor of Webber, whose screams could gut you in the blink of an eye. - Crossfader Magazine

Brooding electronic-dance-music duo Church Fire, which will play the main stage at the Westword Music Showcase, isn’t widely known outside of Denver’s underground music circles — at least not yet...

The outfit’s brand of EDM isn’t tied to any commercial genre. The musicians’ performance style, which can be confrontational, often has more to do with punk rock and performance art than it does with conventional club music.

The name Church Fire, which the pair adopted four years ago, sums up the burning ecstasy of the music — a godless religious experience... - Westword

On Friday, October 6, the Sie FilmCenter is putting together a curious double feature package for its upcoming Scream Screen. Sie is combining George A. Romero’s Creepshow with a special pre-film performance by Denver-based, experimental electronic duo church fire...

...the icing on the cake is church fire’s amazing costuming...This righteous ’80s throwback will be supremely enhanced by church fire’s ultra weird and — at times — borderline terrifying brand of “primal therapy.” Their blend of electronic beats and deranged vocals will kick off the evening right, leaving you a bit stunned, shaken and exhilarated for the film. Band members Shannon Webber and David Samuelson team up to create a dramatic music force that you can only begin to understand after seeing church fire perform live.

Webber and Samuelson of church fire told 303 that they’re, “preparing a special set of all new material inspired by the five Creepshow short stories” — and they won’t be playing your typical church fire set. They’re “honored to work with Theresa Mercado, whose creativity and dedication make Scream Screen a fantastic experience.” Church fire is also excited for the opportunity to do something unique with their own music and performance at this fabulous event — and you should be too. - 303 Magazine

Church Fire has long skirted the line between intelligent dance music, inflected synth pop and noise. With its latest album, Pussy Blood, the duo has crafted a confrontational album that challenges audiences and inspires them to dance while experiencing the psychic anguish, rage and triumph permeating each song. - Denver Westword

Church Fire took the stage and fucked all of our heads up. Nothing could’ve really prepared us for this duo. The best description I can muster up of Church Fire’s music is an entrancing electronic exorcism that makes you want to delicately melt someone’s face off. It’s beautiful. - 303 Magazine

"Shannon Webber spent several years fronting the arty and confrontational punk band Dangerous Nonsense. She brings that same sense of theater and fiery intensity to current project Church Fire. With David Samuelson, Webber has forged the kind of synth-pop band that is as thought-provoking as it is easy to dance to." - Westword

Blending punk attitude and passionate vocal displays with expertly crafted dance songs, electronic pop duo Church Fire isn’t really like anything else in Denver. Its closest musical equivalents might be bands like Phantogram, Future Islands and Crystal Castles due to their combination of physical presence with impossible to ignore pop melodies. Though yet to play far outside of Colorado’s front range, Church Fire performs frequently in the city and somehow seems to get better with every entrancing show. - TIDAL

At this point this band has such strong synth pop/experimental electronic music it could release an album that, if released by a label that knew how to market it, would be huge in that same sphere of music occupied by bands like Phantogram, Future Islands and Washed Out. For now, you can regularly see the act at DIY spaces and smaller venues like Mutiny Now!, Deerpile and the Walnut Room. With ties to the local experimental music world and punk, Church Fire may be the first band to break out from that realm into the consciousness of a more mainstream audience since Pictureplane. - WestWord

"Church Fire may soon grow weary of being perceived as Denver's answer to Swedish electro-geniuses The Knife. But hey, if you're going to endure comparisons to anyone, it might as well be an act so weirdly virtuosic that most musicians wouldn't even try to venture into similar terrain. The duo's focal point is Shannon Webber, whose eye-catching theatricality complements her by turns eerie, twitchy and beautiful vocals. Meanwhile, the relatively low-key synthesist David Samuelson oscillates and arpreggiates his way through arrangements that recall the UK's best post-punk standard-bearers." - Colorado Springs Independent

Pussy Blood is the first release that's been able to accurately capture just how radical their music is in both composition and lyricism. Live, Webber tears at the air while screaming into the mike from behind a wild mess of cables, cords and musical machinery; Samuelson is always right by her side, hidden beneath a shroud as he pushes the bassy beats and searing synthetic sounds out for her voice to land on. The music they make is simultaneously danceable and dark, and now they have a record that matches the tangible, kinetic energy of Church Fire's live shows. - Denver Westword