True crime duo Skynd drop new single "Bianca Devins"
Industrial-tinged and true crime-inspired electronic duo Skynd is the dark creative outlet and the alter ego of its lead singer, Skynd, and producer and multi-instrumentalist Father. They are known for taking inspiration from inexplicable and brutal criminal cases and the mystery surrounding unsolved deaths, and transforming them into songs to remind us of the darkness within the human psyche, while taking great care to avoid any glorification. Small clusters of songs have been released as EPs, titled in numbered chapters.
Today, Skynd continue Chapter V, with the release of new track Bianca Devins and its official video. Bianca Devins stands out amongst Skynd's releases, in part for being named for the victim and not the perpetrator, as in previous tracks. This recent case - from July 14, 2019 - also showed just how gruesome the dark side of social media can be.
Skynd says, "Bianca Devins is a case that shook me to the core, as it shows us once again what power social media can have. How incredibly confusing the rules are. A woman showing her nipples is censored, but a photo of a young, half-beheaded girl named Bianca Devins circulated for weeks on social media platforms. The brutality of Brandon Clark's inhuman cruelty toward Bianca is still shocking. The warning signs were there. The Instagram stories he posted were all aimed at the same thing: he was jealous, he wanted her for himself, he wanted to kill her, and because she kissed another boy it seemed like revenge. He took Bianca's life because he couldn't stand that she wanted to live her life the way she did. He took that away from her. People then posted this horrific photo of her, not even knowing her name. They just shared it, not fully knowing what happened. That's why it was very important to me to write about her, to put her name out there once again, and put her in the spotlight."
Highly respected film maker PR Brown, who once again directed the song's official video adds, "When I first heard the Bianca Devins track I couldn't help but think of my own daughter. The video is more of a tragic cautionary tale about the dangers of becoming a superhero in the social online world and what that could hold. Skynd wanted to reflect Bianca's real and imagined world as two opposing sides. In the video, she gives in to the temptation to be bigger than herself as it all becomes a bit too surreal and overwhelming. By the end, the lines are blurred between what is real and what is a dream."
Skynd are soon to embark on a string of European headline dates from November 1st, 2023 and can now reveal special guests in mainland Europe will be Knife Bride, with Zetra opening proceedings for the UK dates.
Tickets are on sale now for the following performances:
With special guests Knife Bride
Wednesday 1st November - Warsaw PL - Proxima
Thursday 2nd November - Wroclaw PL - Kwadrat
Friday 3rd November - Leipzig DE - UT Connewitz
Saturday 4th November - Prague CZ - Sasazu
Monday 6th November - Vienna AT - Arena
Tuesday 7th November - Bologna IT - Locomotiv Club
Wednesday 8th November - Munich DE - Technikum
Friday 10th November - Berlin DE - Hole 44
Saturday 11th November - Copenhagen DK - Vega
Sunday 12th November - Malmo SE - Plan B
Monday 13th November - Stockholm SE - Slaktkyrkan
Wednesday 15th November - Oslo NO - Parkteateret
Friday 17th November - Hamburg DE - Gruenspan
Saturday 18th November - Utrecht NL - De Helling
Sunday 19th November - Cologne DE - Kantine
Tuesday 21st November - Frankfurt DE - Batschkapp
Wednesday 22nd November - Antwerp BE - Trix Club
Thursday 23rd November - Strasbourg FR - La Laiterie Club
Friday 24th November - Paris FR - Le Trabendo
Saturday 25th November - Lille FR - Le Black Lab
With special guests Zetra
Tuesday 28th November - Birmingham UK - Institute 2
Wednesday 29th November - Glasgow UK - St Luke's
Thursday 30th November - Manchester UK - Academy
Friday 1st December - London UK - Koko
To buy tickets and for a full list of SKYND performances, visit: https://skynd-music.com/live/.
We all conceal something behind the earthly façade we show to the world. Maybe it's an unspoken fetish. Perhaps it's a covetous urge. Or it could just be the kind of darkness we acknowledge in passing —but don't dare reference out loud. Skynd peel back those layers and uncover what lurks beneath. The industrialized gothic electronic duo - Skynd [lead vocals] and "Father" [producer, multi-instrumentalist] - exorcize beauty by bloodletting as they delve into some of history’s most baffling, bizarre, and brutal crimes across their EPs.
Skynd released Chapter I in 2018, which included Korn's Jonathan Davis as a special guest on Gary Heidnik. Chapter II followed in 2019. Chapter III comprised Chris Watts, Michelle Carter, and Columbine, the latter featuring a guest spot from noted hip-hop artist Bill $aber. Chapter IV focussed on Armin Meiwes, John Wayne Gacy, and Edmund Kemper. Each chapter continues Skynd's exploration of the darkest and most disturbing parts of the human psyche, following their belief that "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Chapter V began in August 2023 with Robert Hansen. To date, Skynd's music has racked up 30.5 million streams on their Spotify channel alone, their official YouTube channel has amassed over 45 million views.
