Black Rain (Creeper song)

Last updated
"Black Rain"
Single by Creeper
from the album Eternity, in Your Arms
Released15 February 2017 (2017-02-15)
Format Digital download
Genre Horror punk
Length3:30(album version)
3:09(edited version)
Label Roadrunner
Songwriter(s)
  • Will Gould
  • Ian Miles
  • Hannah Greenwood
  • Sean Scott
  • Dan Bratton
  • Oliver Burdett
Producer(s) Neil Kennedy
Creeper singles chronology
"Hiding with Boys"
(2016)		"Black Rain"
(2017)		"Misery"
(2017)

"Black Rain" is a song by English horror punk band Creeper. Written by the band (Will Gould, Ian Miles, Hannah Greenwood, Sean Scott, Dan Bratton and Oliver Burdett), it was produced by Neil Kennedy and featured as the opening track on the band's 2017 debut studio album Eternity, in Your Arms . The song was released as the third single and music video from the album on 15 February 2017.

Horror punk

Horror punk is a music genre that mixes proto-gothic and punk rock sounds with morbid and violent imagery and lyrics, which are often influenced by horror films or science fiction B-movies. The genre is similar to and sometimes overlaps with deathrock, although deathrock leans more towards an atmospheric gothic rock sound while horror punk leans towards a 1950s-influenced doo-wop and rockabilly sound. Horror punk music is typically more aggressive and melodic than deathrock.

Creeper (band)

Creeper are an English rock band from Southampton. Formed in 2014, the group features lead vocalist Will Gould, guitarists Ian Miles and Oliver Burdett, keyboardist and second vocalist Hannah Greenwood, bassist Sean Scott and drummer Dan Bratton. Creeper released their self-titled debut extended play (EP) Creeper in 2014, which was followed by The Callous Heart and The Stranger on Roadrunner Records in 2015 and 2016, respectively. They released their debut full-length album Eternity, in Your Arms in 2017, which debuted at number 18 on the UK Albums Chart.

<i>Eternity, in Your Arms</i> 2017 studio album by Creeper

Eternity, in Your Arms is the debut full-length studio album by English punk rock band Creeper. Released on 24 March 2017 by Roadrunner Records, it was produced by Neil Kennedy at The Ranch Production House in the band's hometown of Southampton, where the band had previously recorded their first three extended plays (EPs) – 2014's Creeper, 2015's The Callous Heart and 2016's The Stranger – also with Kennedy. The album is primarily categorised as horror punk, although it has also been described by critics as incorporating elements of pop punk, glam rock and post-hardcore into both its lyrical content and musical styles.

Contents

Composition and lyrics

"Black Rain" was one of the final songs written for Eternity, in Your Arms , and was intended to serve as a "dramatic" opener to the album. [1] Creeper frontman Will Gould named the track as "one of [the band's] favourite" songs on the album, claiming that it "shows the full range of the band". [2] The song is the band's first to feature a solo vocal by keyboardist Hannah Greenwood, [3] who "yells" the line "So darling just you shut your pretty mouth" in the chorus. [4] It also features additional guitar by James Harding, [5] as well as a spoken word intro by Ellie Price of Southampton-based math rock band Signals. [1] Upon the song's release, Gould and Greenwood described "Black Rain" as "a bitter love song". [4]

Math rock style of rock music

Math rock is a style of indie rock that emerged in the late 1980s in the United States, influenced by post-hardcore, progressive rock bands such as King Crimson, and 20th century minimal music composers such as Steve Reich. Math rock is characterized by complex, atypical rhythmic structures, counterpoint, odd time signatures, angular melodies, and extended, often dissonant, chords. It bears similarities to post-rock.

Reviewing the song for Upset magazine, Ali Shutler described the lyrical content of "Black Rain" as being "Soaked in heartbreak and dramatic consequences", proposing that it deals with the concept of "the frustrations of being young, free and wanting more centre stage" which, he claims, then lead to "uncertainty and self-doubt". [6] Speaking about the style of the song for the NME , Anita Bhagwandas outlined that the song "opens with twinkly piano before a slathering of AFI-esque vocals amble up to provide perfect spookiness". [7] Clash writer Dannii Leivers claimed that the song is influenced by the work of record producer Jim Steinman, describing it as a track which features "goth majesty". [8]

<i>NME</i> British weekly music journalism magazine

New Musical Express (NME) is a British music journalism website and former magazine that has been published since 1952. It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, in the edition of 14 November 1952. In the 1970s it became the best-selling British music newspaper. During the period 1972 to 1976, it was particularly associated with gonzo journalism, then became closely associated with punk rock through the writings of Julie Burchill, Paul Morley and Tony Parsons. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s and 1990s, changing from newsprint in 1998.

AFI (band) American punk rock band

AFI is an American rock band from Ukiah, California, formed in 1991. The band's lineup stabilized in 1998 with lead vocalist Davey Havok, drummer and backing vocalist Adam Carson, bassist, backing vocalist and keyboardist Hunter Burgan, and guitarist, backing vocalist and keyboardist Jade Puget. Havok and Carson are the sole remaining original members. Originally a hardcore punk band, they have since delved into many genres, starting with horror punk and following through post-hardcore and emo into alternative rock and gothic rock.

<i>Clash</i> (magazine)

Clash is a music and fashion magazine and website based in the United Kingdom. It is published four times a year by Music Republic Ltd, its predecessor Clash Music Ltd having gone into liquidation.

Promotion and release

"Black Rain" was premiered worldwide on BBC Radio 1 as MistaJam's "Hottest Record in the World" for 14 February 2017. [9] The song was released as a digital download the following day, alongside a music video for the track. [2] [10] The video was filmed in a church in London with director Jamie Carter, who also worked on the videos for "Suzanne" and "Hiding with Boys". [11] Speaking about the making of the video, Carter revealed that it was inspired by the story of Romeo and Juliet , and that it was his favourite of the trilogy produced for Eternity, in Your Arms. [11]

BBC Radio 1 British national radio station

BBC Radio 1 is one of the BBC's two flagship radio stations, specialising in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7 pm, including electronica, dance, hip hop, rock and indie. The choice of music and presenting style is entirely that of programme hosts, however those who present in the daytime have to rotate a number of songs a specific number of times per week. It was launched in 1967 to meet the demand for music generated by pirate radio stations, when the average age of the UK population was 27. The BBC claim that they target the 15–29 age group, and the average age of its UK audience since 2009 is 30. BBC Radio 1 started 24-hour broadcasting on 1 May 1991.

MistaJam DJ and radio presenter

Peter Dalton, known professionally as MistaJam, is a British DJ and radio presenter for BBC Radio 1, joining in 2008, and BBC Radio 1Xtra, previously joining them in 2005. He is the host of the Drivetime show on BBC Radio 1Xtra and the Dance Anthems on BBC Radio 1.

Music download digital transfer of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a users local desktop computer

A music download is the digital transfer of music via the Internet into a device capable of decoding and playing it, such as a home computer, MP3 player or smartphone. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyrighted material without permission or legal payment. According to a Nielsen report, downloadable music accounted for 55.9% of all music sales in the US in 2012. By the beginning of 2011, Apple's iTunes Store alone made US$1.1 billion of revenue in the first quarter of its fiscal year.

Critical reception

Media response to "Black Rain" was positive. Writing for Upset magazine, Ali Shutler hailed the song as the band's "latest and greatest" upon release. [12] In a review of the single, Shutler described "Black Rain" as "Epic and built to inspire a thousand ideas", praising it as "the first time Creeper have properly stuck their flag in the ground, taken a little bit of everything they love, and proudly declared 'this is us'". [6] DIY writer Will Richards applauded the song as "a thunderous next step for the Southampton punks". [4]

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"Hiding with Boys" is a song by English horror punk band Creeper. Written by the band with producer Neil Kennedy, it was featured on the band's 2017 debut studio album Eternity, in Your Arms. The track was released as the second single and music video from the album on 12 December 2016.

"Misery" is a song by English horror punk band Creeper. Written by the group's lead vocalist Will Gould and guitarist and backing vocalist Ian Miles, it was produced by Neil Kennedy and featured on the band's 2016 third extended play (EP) The Stranger. A reworked version of the song was later featured on the band's full-length debut Eternity, in Your Arms and released as a music video, and a third version was later issued as a single on 9 June 2017.

<i>Christmas</i> (Creeper EP) 2017 EP by Creeper

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References

  1. 1 2 'Eternity, In Your Arms' Song Guide Part 1. YouTube. 24 March 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  2. 1 2 Carter, Emily (15 February 2017). "Creeper Debut New Song And Video, Black Rain". Kerrang! . Bauer Media Group . Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  3. ↑ Munro, Scott (15 February 2017). "Watch new Creeper video for track Black Rain". Metal Hammer . TeamRock. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 Richards, Will (14 February 2017). "Creeper goth up Valentine's Day with 'Black Rain'". DIY . Sonic Media Group. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  5. ↑ Eternity, in Your Arms (Media notes). Creeper. Roadrunner Records. 2017.CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. 1 2 Shutler, Ali (14 February 2017). "Creeper's 'Black Rain' is built to inspire a thousand ideas". Upset. The Bunker Publishing. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  7. ↑ Bhagwandas, Anita (22 March 2017). "Creeper - 'Eternity, In Your Arms' Review". NME . Time Inc. UK . Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  8. ↑ Leivers, Dannii (24 March 2017). "Creeper - Eternity, In Your Arms". Clash . Music Republic. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  9. ↑ "Creeper set to reveal brand new song on Radio 1". Roadrunner Records. 14 February 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  10. ↑ Gogia, Nikhail (14 February 2017). "Creeper debut new song "Black Rain," and other news you might have missed today". Alternative Press . Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  11. 1 2 Velez, Cat (16 February 2017). "Creeper 'Black Rain' by Jamie Carter". Promo News. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  12. ↑ Shutler, Ali (14 February 2017). "Listen to 'Black Rain', Creeper's latest and greatest, right now". Upset. The Bunker Publishing. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
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