The first single from Pain Magazine, a new collaborative project uniting French post-hardcore trio Birds in Row with industrial techno duo Maelstrom & Louisahhh, is out today. The track, titled Violent God, is also the name of the band’s debut album, scheduled for release on October 3, 2025 via Humus Records.
The project itself started unintentionally—a one-off studio session during a harsh winter evolved quickly into a full-length record, written over sixteen days. That initial experiment became Violent God, a song in which the identities of both groups remain distinct yet tightly fused.
Built on a chaotic yet controlled layering of distorted guitars and industrial electronics, the track leans heavily on tension, both sonic and lyrical. Louisahhh’s vocals oscillate between confrontation and confession. “Do I believe in a violent god? You make me believe,” she howls, setting a tone that’s political, personal, and pointed. The lyrics move in the unstable space between faith, blame, and the violence of being seen—whether as victim or aggressor.
The band describes this song as the one where the separate parties’ influences are most clearly present. Birds in Row bring their raw guitar energy and post-hardcore sensibility. Maelstrom injects cold, pulsating synths. Louisahhh roars across it all. The outcome is intense, unfiltered, and shaped by a shared dedication to what the band calls “authenticity, integrity, and bravely honing light from darkness.”
The lineup for the single includes Joris Saïdani (drums, synth, production), Louisa Pillot aka Louisahhh (vocals), Bart Balboa (guitar, vocals, synth), Quentin Sauvé (guitar, bass, vocals), and Joan-Mael Péneau (drum machines, modular synth). The track was written and composed collectively by Pillot, Saïdani, Hirigoyen, Péneau, and Sauvé. It was recorded and mixed by Saïdani, and mastered by Alex DeYoung. Artwork is by Bart Balboa.
The full album will follow in early October, with live performances also planned.
