For some Friday 13th is thought to have a slight whiff of superstition. Falling, this year, in the spooky season of October, will only heighten others’ sense of paranoia. For post punk, lo-fi horror fans, Provoker, it was sign to unleash their second album, Demon Compass on the world. ‘It’s crazy,’ says frontman Christian Petty, ‘The stars aligned at the perfect time.’ Curse of the sophomore slump be damned!

Luckily for all concerned, Demon Compass is truly all serial killer, no filler. Twelve tracks that lean into the darkness with menacing bass, threatening vocals and lyrics about blood being spilt. Balanced with this foreboding doom is the camp sense of horror witnessed in their videos, murderous pop hooks and the multiple characters that live inside Christian’s head, each with their own tale to tell and vocal delivery. Demon Compass is equal parts Cronenberg and Craven.

Christian pulls up a pew with Loverboy and recounts his endless hunt for ther perfect synonym, his close call with a cockroach and being inspired by The Crow.

First up, I have to say, as a Brit, when I first heard Provoker, I was convinced you guys were English!
It’s funny you mention that because there is a poem I wrote for ‘Valley Ghoul’ called ‘A Fate Tightly Sealed’ that’s going to be an interlude on Demon Compass. I am reciting it in a really bad English accent. For some reason I felt that’s what the fictional character would sound like. Maybe because a lot of creepy characters have British accents in movies. Haha…To be honest I’m not too familiar with English culture, I’m sure I’m influenced just as much as the rest of the world but I can’t pinpoint anything specific.

Ahhh…and I was sure I heard a bit of Jarvis Cocker in those vocals. Haha…congratulations on Demon Compass. I’m really enjoying it. How were things different when writing this album?
Thank you. The biggest difference for this album was the time we got to spend honing it in. We got to think about it for two years and build connections, create backstories and even a whole ‘Choose your own adventure’ story built into the insert that comes with the album. We also got to go Sweden and meet with Year0001, talk creatively and film the music videos with really talented Swedish directors. Body Jumper was super Sci-Fi. It’s funny because to finish the album we had to do it all over zoom calls and mixing sessions through a program that allowed us to digitally be in the studio with the mixer. So even the process was apocalyptic/sci-fi. Demon Compass leans more fantasy/horror thematically, it’s also more honest. Body Jumper was about escaping your reality, Demon Compass is about seeking it and looking inward.

I get more levity with this album, more humour with the darkness. Was that something you felt too? 
Always. I love writing songs about funny topics that also feel tragic and don’t come across as jokes. I really enjoy writing stories that blur the line between personal experiences and complete fantasy. I’m always going to be connected to it in some way but it also leaves a lot of room for interpretation. I like keeping things cryptic but not in a way that alienates the listener.

Speaking of interpretation, ‘Under The Bed’ to me is about realising you are different to society, not really wanting to accept it and trying to get rid of those thoughts. Something we can all relate to.  
It’s cool that’s what you took away from the track, there definitely is some of that in there. I’m pretty bad at communicating how I feel to people. It’s something I am working on getting better at because I know I am isolating myself and it’s causing me to feel unheard. Writing is a way I can get these things out. There are many songs on here that indirectly talk about things I’ve never said to anyone and probably never will.

Also I love the way you managed to get some words to work together like ‘adorable’ and ‘cordial’ and the delivery of ‘All day, always I’m stuck being creepy’. So good. Which lyrics do you love the most in this album?
Oh wow thank you, I’m so glad those stood out to you. There are moments when I’m writing songs where I’ll complete a phrase and feel a rush of excitement wash over me. Those lines definitely gave me that feeling. Writing the lyrics is my favorite part of the song writing process, I get obsessed, I stay up until 5 in the morning sometimes writing. I’m constantly looking at definitions and synonyms until I find the perfect word. It’s like a puzzle and it’s the best feeling when all the words fit perfectly into the original melody. It’s a combination of being in the moment and meticulously combing through every detail because the initial vocal melodies are all gut feeling gibberish and the lyrics come after. I love all of the songs but some lines that stand out to me are:

‘Freezing Alive’
“I guess I’m freezing alive, beauty in how fragile the design.
The glaring sun will show, with only puddles to remind”

‘Deadly Insect’
“Cold blue lips against mine, share a kiss wet on dry.
There’s no spark in my eyes, I don’t feel it all the time.
As I lay by your side, I hear things in my mind.
When I reach only silence, my dreams wake me from the violence.
So I keep my eyes wide so to defeat my ugly side”

‘A Fate Tightly Sealed’
“Their supple limbs were moving with such an unfamiliar grace.
As I peered through the tall grass I wondered if I’d ever be lucky enough to win their acceptance.
Bestowed with a willingness to suppress a lifelong appetite, I know it now to never be enough.
Forever bound by a form, a rebirth purloined and a fate tightly sealed.”

It sounds like there several vocalists on this album. Are you sharing vocals now?
That’s just my style of singing. I love to use different voicings. I wouldn’t say I’m a super talented singer but my range is pretty wide and I’m good enough to be able to experiment and do what feels right in the moment.

Wow, and how do you decide which voice is going to come out?
Switching them up is more about gut feeling at first but the tone of voice definitely influences the lyrics that come after.

On Body Jumper you had a song written from the POV of an ‘RPG character encountering an evil fairy boss.’ Amazing. Any new interesting characters on this album?
There’s a lot. ‘Valley Ghoul’ is about a teen ghoul who has a crush on a human classmate and is trying to deny his appetite for corpses. ‘Spring Bride’ is pretty much just about the movie The Crow. ‘Sleight of Hand’ is about a magician who feels imposter syndrome because the miracles he performs are just tricks. ‘Debt Collector’ is about an unstoppable force who seeks what is owed. ‘The Stalker’ is simply about a stalker following someone on the highway. Lastly, ‘Deadly Insect’ is about a character that was painted on a Magic, The Gathering card with the same title. I tried to create a story around the image.

The videos for this era are so good. Which has been your favourite so far? How did you handle those cockroaches?!
Thank you, we had so much fun with these. Gustav and Olle are brilliant directors. They are all equally great to me but I really enjoyed the ‘It’s In My Head’ shoot. Olle is a true freak. He was planning on doing a cockroach CGI but I told him to just let it crawl on me without really thinking about how I would feel in the moment. When they put it on my face, it went directly for my ear, which is what they wanted, but people were yelling in the background saying, ‘Don’t let it go inside!’ And I was like ‘Fuck, I guess this is happening,’ and I immediately thought about all the videos I’ve seen on the internet where bugs are being pulled out of people and I instinctively brushed him away from my ear. Luckily they got the shot right before I did that.

I love your love for Horror, mixing camp with the darkness. Which moments of horror do you love for being campy and kitsch? 
I love the extreme unrealistic violence and practical effects.

Are you interested in taking the cinema element further? Or doing a soundtrack album?
I would love to make something on a larger scale and make a provoker movie. After making all these music videos I also kind of found out I love acting haha. It would be really cool to have a role in a movie one day.

We need to discuss the release date too. Friday 13th. I mean. 
It’s crazy, we didn’t know there was going to be a rare Friday the 13th in October but we talked about October being perfect for it so the stars kind of aligned at the perfect time.

Talking of horror, haha…we are named after the iconic Mariah Carey song and always ask what is your favourite Mariah Carey song?
I don’t really listen to Mariah Carey but she has undeniable hits and those high notes are so crazy! If I had to choose one I would pick ‘Obsessed’ because it makes me laugh.

Demon Compass is out now via YEAR0001