Page 14 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine Issue 113

BV113 pg 14-17 Dead Posey Interview.qxp_BV113 pg 14 02/12/2025 22:06 Page 1

BlackVelvetMagazine.Com - 14

Leaving

A Scar

he more things change, the more
‘Tthey stay the same’ is a commonly
used phrase in the world but one which
feels more and more appropriate with
each passing year. Case in point is the
debut album of American duo Dead Posey,
'Are You In A Cult?' Many of the songs
were penned during the global pandemic
when almost every life was turned on its
head. But, with its release last year, many
of the songs and their words ring just as
true, even more so today, than they did
before, despite so much having changed in
the world in the last five years.

aking time to join Black Velvet from their busy schedule are Los Angeles
Tnatives, lead singer Danyell Souza and guitarist and multi-instrumentalist
Tony Fagenson. They have squeezed us in between soundchecking and meet and
greets and the start of their show at the Camden Underworld, a hefty step up from
their previous headline performance in the capital at the far more modest Black
Heart round the corner. And, shortly after our time with them, they were announced
as the opening act for Marilyn Manson's UK and European tour.
As mentioned, the pair are busy. So much so that we start our time together a
little later than intended due to the length of their meet and greet, such is the
amount of enthusiastic fans eager to meet them and also the band's eagerness to
spend quality time with their audience, which is more than commendable.

sing the album title as inspiration, we start by asking whether Danyell and
UTony feel that in 2025 the world is becoming more cult-like.
Danyell replies, "For us, the reason why we wrote that album title is because
we do feel like there are so many different cults out, from politics, to religion, to
celebrities, the rock scene, the list goes on. Everything can be a cult and some are
good and some are bad, some make you kill yourself and some make you thrive,
so it all depends on which one you find yourself in.
"So, yes, there are cults everywhere."
Tony adds, "And they have different forms now. You have old school, 70s, 80s
form of cults with the big leader like a Charles Manson and now, they take different
forms. Now, people can get so obsessed with things, and things are so tribal and
team-orientated, now more than ever, I guess driven by social media."
Danyell continues, "You see this a lot in politics, and cults have always inter-
ested us, but seeing how politics, especially in America, has been, it's very cult-
esque."
Showing the clear sync between the pair, Tony picks up the thought, "You wear
the same colours, you all think the same things. It's your team or their team and it
feels like it's everywhere, so that's why it was the album title."
When asked whether it’s something which concerns them, Danyell responds,
"Yes and no," before explaining, "It does to a degree because it can cause chaos
if they follow the wrong leader, I guess you could say. We're not trying to shit on

DEAD POSEY