Provoker

Founding member Jonathon Lopez initially launched Provoker as a solo vehicle to explore composing for film — a notion that still holds true via their cinematic approach to both songwriting and video production. He later brought on R&B singer and lyricist Christian Petty, after meeting at a horror screening, making for a very cinematic union both visually and thematically. With the addition of the falsetto frontman and co-writer, the group's music started taking on new shapes finding the middle ground between catharsis and despondency. At the same time, they moved their center of operations from the Bay Area to Los Angeles. Stylistically, they arrived at a masterful blend of synth-forward minor-key romanticism and resplendently moody R&B, animated by an electric sense of yearning. "All our songs have some sort of defeatist mentality or insecurity behind them," said Petty. "Some deep sadness, escapism, and idealism."