Words by: Amanda Marano

LA-based experimental post-punk artist CROWJANE has released her debut album MATER DOLOROSA via Kitten Robot Records. In addition to a transcendent album, CROWJANE has The also revealed a music video for her track, “The Pharmacy”.  

She begins strong, and sets the scene for the powerful lead single “Terminal Secrets”.  The “somberly surreal” track builds to heightened emotions. The dark yet ethereal is partly cloaked in her signature alternative and punk styles, yet the background vocals make it almost religious.

Skipping ahead, “Willow,” is a melancholy, comforting ballad. Her voice melts into the piano, calming yet deeply emotional. “The Pharmacy” follows, with an almost tribal beat and a high-stakes mood. Her sharp delivery with the deep instrumentals emerges a truly different sound – pairing perfectly with the dark and dreary music video. With demonic references and a pale color palette, its a visual journey you won’t want to miss.

CROWJANE shares, “Part of the reason why I chose ‘The Pharmacy’ to be a single is because I had this idea come into my mind for a music video. I didn’t want to portray pharmaceuticals in a literal sense. Instead, I wanted to portray the act of trying to heal someone’s ‘demons’ through mysticism. Some of my favorite subject matters are the occult, voodoo, and demons.  I liked it just being a montage of sorts of this imagery that informs the viewer but still leaves them guessing. It was fun to shoot this with my friends and to put demon makeup and goop on myself.”

“Circular Valley” brings a more hopeful sound, a peaceful instrumentation with cooing lyrics and surprising, yet introspective moments to support the track. She shares some interesting DIY hacks she used to make the song, explaining, “I used foil and hit it with a pencil as a ‘snare’ sound on ‘Circular Valley,’ for instance. I’m happy with the way it turned out and I think it is a good first album and it won’t be the last.” Closing off the record, “Man’s World” finds CROWJANE crewing with her aching vocals in a painful but honest interpretation of the classic song.

Released just yesterday, the album’s title, Mater Dolorosa, comes from the Roman Catholic observed holy day of The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. The album was produced by LA punk legend Paul Roessler [Screamers, Nina Hagen, 45 Grave, Deadbeats].

CROWJANE and Roessler mixed contemporary production with a real DIY aesthetic, exploring sound textures and special effects to create the unearthly soundscapes that encapsulate her haunting vocals. “Mater Dolorosa was an experimental adventure of messing with different sounds and homemade instruments,” she explains of unconventional instrumentation that included tin cans, bed railings and even cat litter. With Mater Dolorosa, CROWJANE created an otherworldly, yet deeply personal project that helps to establish her as an artist to watch.

“I’m amazed that Mater Dolorosa is finally coming out to the public and in this way with publicity and a record label. If you would‘ve told me that when I was writing, it I wouldn’t have believed you,” says CROWJANE, “My personal journals/therapy session solo album is being exposed for others to listen to and digest, and I’m just itching to write more. I honestly couldn’t think of a better time to pour out thoughts and emotions onto paper and into songs than right now with the state of this country and in my jobless quarantine.”

CROWJANE is no stranger to this haunting aesthetic she’s created. Coming from a visual art background of surrealism and horror, CROWJANE [real name Heather Galipo] has an established career as a professional effects makeup artist who has worked on Mulan, The Orville, Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood, Civil Twilight, The Clinic, Don Quixote, Toolbox Murders, The Last Of Us: Part II, Star Wars: Fallen Order, and more alongside her music career. Her unique background helped evolve her artist identity along with her musical style.

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Featured Image By:  Rachel Roessler