If you’ve recently caught the unsettling atmosphere of The Witch, Robert Eggers’ folk horror film about dark forces and personal haunting in New England’s wilderness, Antoine Romeo’s debut video for BEASTS’ first single, “The Shearing,” might feel like a chilling continuation. Directed by Jeremy Puffet, it can be viewed in full right here.
Emerging from the mind of Romeo, known for his work with the post-punk outfit RUN SOFA, BEASTS explores depths of genre-blending and unsettling themes in a way that’s uncompromisingly raw. A full immersion into noise, punk, rap, and doom, all wielded to speak on gritty social issues.
Lyrics:
We gon’ party up
Let’s do it for them
Put down our masks
Headbang to the ground
Let’s see what you got
Please show me again
Let’s ward off the spells
Feed them to the hounds, yeah
This is the shearing
Poorly advised from a young age
People wanna chop your head off
Put on your disguise, a fake smile on your face
People wanna chop your head off
Romeo has shaped BEASTS into something uniquely visceral, churning with themes that feel intensely personal and politically charged.
His debut album, also titled The Shearing captures the weight of generational trauma, class division, immigration, and societal constructs that, for many, frame daily reality.
Growing up in Charleroi within a large Italian immigrant family, Romeo’s perspective is both informed and sharpened by his roots and experiences.
The album channels these stories and frustrations with a relentless energy that feels almost cathartic in its honesty.
To bring BEASTS to life, Romeo didn’t go solo in the literal sense—he brought together Ghent’s drummer Tijl Van de Casteele, known for his work in WHORSES, and bassist François Hantson from Tournai, whose experience in bands like FEEL and MINGAWASH rounds out a rhythm section that strikes with brutal precision.
“The Shearing,” the album’s leading track, embodies the raw, unfiltered sound that BEASTS brings to the table. There’s no gloss here—just Romeo’s intense vocals against a backdrop of grinding bass, thunderous drums, and fractured guitars.
It’s an abrasive, often confrontational sound that doesn’t hold back, mirroring the themes he’s determined to explore.
