In an unlikely yet remarkable crossover collaboration, PVRIS has teamed up with Canadian rapper Tommy Genesis and boundary-pushing DJ/producer/singer/songwriter Alice Longyu Gao to deliver the ultimate female-empowerment anthem, “BURN THE WITCH.” The new single marks a monumental moment for PVRIS leader Lynn Gunn (Gunnulfsen) as it’s the first track from the esteemed project where she receives full and proper credit for production and recording—a milestone she’s passionately pursued and fought toward for over a decade since the group’s inception. Additionally, with three female powerhouses leading the charge on this forward-thinking track, the new release was also entirely written, produced, engineered, etc. by an all-female team, a deeply significant element and something that was crucial to the trio. For Gunn, this pledge encompasses female, female-identifying, trans, and non-binary musicians and creators.
Across the track’s two minutes and 55 seconds, “BURN THE WITCH” emerges as a fiery display of empowerment, with each vocalist bringing their distinctive style and passion to the forefront. Tommy Genesis and Alice Longyu Gao thrive during their verses, injecting an electrifying and unconventional energy into the fearless track, setting it ablaze with their unique flair. At its core, the song acts as a powerful rallying cry for reclaiming one’s voice, epitomized by Lynn Gunn belting the chorus, “Burn, burn, burn, burn the witch/Run, run, run, run heretics.”
Read more: Charlotte Sands Shares Her Top 5 Female Artists That Inspire Her
Gunn shares, “I’ve been a huge fan of both Tommy and Alice for quite a while, so it was an absolute dream to not only have them on a track together but to also get to be crafting the production around their parts.”
She adds, “At its core, I just wanted to make a fun project full of some bad bitches in music that I love and create a space where we can express whatever we want and get to experiment sonically. I didn’t want to be overly precious about it, I just want to have fun and free flow! It should be noted that while there are already so many iconic and incredible female producers, writers, engineers etc. out there (I’m no trailblazer here), but there is nowhere near the amount that there should be. This isn’t even something to debate, go look at the statistics.”
“I think I’ve truly been in hundreds of writing/producing sessions at this point in my career and I can recall less than 20 of those that were with female writers and around 10 that were with female producers. From labels and publishers to management, there is so little advocacy to get artists into rooms with women in general. It’s even rarer to see the same advocacy towards connecting and putting only women in a room together, especially without it being made into a commodity, “special event” or task to check off. These collaborations should be happening organically regardless of who is watching.”
Read more: Stand Atlantic Releases New Track “WARZ0NE”
“I don’t really understand what everyone is so scared of? That we’ll all have too much fun together? It’s all I’ve experienced in this chapter (of working almost exclusively with women); just pure fun. I feel like a kid again and this is the least stressed I’ve felt making music and I really hope I can be a small part in helping to facilitate those same feelings outward for the other artists I’m bringing onto this project and working with in general. I don’t want this to be the only “volume” of this project, there’s too many bad bitches in all music making roles out there to cover in just one release like this. This is something I’d love to continue and grow in.”
“BURN THE WITCH” also marks the first taste of PVRIS’ forthcoming follow-up to her 2023 full-length, EVERGREEN. The currently untitled project is slated to arrive this spring via Hopeless Records.
PVRIS is scheduled to perform overseas beginning on April 24 and running through until May 15, with labelmate Scene Queen joining as support. The “LOVE IS A…” artists will then embark on a North American tour launching on June 1 and wrapping up on July 12 alongside Pale Waves and Bruses. You can purchase tickets to see PVRIS live this spring and summer here.
Tour Dates:
- April 24—Hanover, DE @ Musikzentrum
- April 25—Hamburg, DE @ Docks
- April 26—Berlin, DE @ Huxleys Neue Welt
- April 27—Warsaw, PL @ Proxima
- April 29—Prague, CZ @ Lucerna Music Bar
- April 30—Vienna, AT @ Arena
- May 2—Milan, IT @ Alcatraz
- May 5—Frankfurt, DE @ Zoom Frankfurt
- May 6—Cologne, DE @ Carlswerk Victoria
- May 7—Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique
- May 9—Utrecht, NL @ TivolviVredenburg
- May 10—Paris, FR @ Le Trabendo
- May 12—Manchester, UK @ O2 Victoria Warehouse
- May 13—Glasgow, UK @ O2 Academy Glasgow
- May 15—Birmingham, UK @ O2 Academy Birmingham
- May 16—London, UK @ Troxy
- June 1—Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory
- June 2—Sacramento, CA @ Ace Of Spades
- June 4—Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo
- June 5—Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
- June 7—Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
- June 8—Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
Read more: Meet Me @ The Altar Shares Their Favorite BIPOC Musicians In The Scene
- June 11—Madison, WI @ The Sylvee
- June 12—Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
- June 14—Minneapolis, MN @ Uptown Theater
- June 15—Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
- June 16—Detroit, MI @ St Andrew’s Hall
- June 19—Toronto, ON @ The Danforth Music Hall
- June 21—Boston, MA @ House of Blues
- June 22—Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
- June 24—New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
- June 26—Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
- June 28—Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl Nashville
- June 29—Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade – Heaven
- July 1—St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live
- July 2—Orlando, FL @ House of Blues Orlando
- July 5—Houston, TX @ House of Blues Houston
- July 6—Austin, TX @ Emo’s Austin
- July 7—Dallas, TX @ House of Blues Dallas
- July 9—Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
- July 10—San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park
- July 12—Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern