My Violence Photo credit: Dylan Luster
This summer, Viennese artist Silvia Ryder, best known as one half of the former dreampop duo Sugarplum Fairies, unveiled “Paper Bag Princess,” the lead single from Monday’s Child, the highly anticipated follow-up to her 2023 self-titled debut under the solo moniker My Violence. The new record delves even deeper into the shadowy, emotionally charged world Ryder has been crafting since stepping out on her own.
Now, Ryder returns with “Underground,” a haunting new single due out September 24 via Starfish Records. The track, she says, “starts out with a hypnotic slowcore drone and culminates in layers of reverb and distortion.” A fitting description for a song that feels both meditative and explosive.
While echoes of Sugarplum Fairies’ Americana-tinged shoegaze still linger, My Violence leans into a darker, more seductive sound. On “Underground,” Ryder builds a world that’s as intimate as it is otherworldly, her whispered vocals floating over a slow-burning arrangement that eventually swells into a mesmerizing, reverb-drenched haze.
The song’s title pays subtle homage to The Velvet Underground, whose proto-punk classic “I’m Waiting for the Man” served as inspiration. The influence is less about sonic mimicry than mood and tension—something Ryder excels at evoking through sparse textures and emotionally raw delivery.
With “Underground,” Ryder continues to assert My Violence as a distinctive voice in the realm of dreamlike noir-pop—a genre that’s less about labels than it is about feeling. Think Super 8 film grain, late-night drives, and memories that flicker like old tape.
“Underground” takes inspiration from The Velvet Underground’s “I’m Waiting for the Man.” What drew you to that particular song, and how did it influence the mood or structure of your track?
MY VIOLENCE: There is a kaleidoscope of references regarding Velvet Underground’s “I’m Waiting for the Man”. “Underground” starts out with a lone harmonium, a nod to Nico’s later solo work. It subsequently culminates into an unfazed energy built on heavy guitar saturation and liberal use of Brian Jonestown Massacre infused tambourines. The lyrics emulate Velvet Underground’s descriptive city narrative with the “Venus in Furs” protagonist emerging from darkness trying to chase after the sun.
MY VIOLENCE: Sugarplum Fairies started out as a duo supplemented by an array of rotating guest musicians. After a both personal and creative split I started the solo My Violence project composing on a 1980’s Omni chord and subsequently my son Marlon Rabenreither aka Gold Star stepped in as a producer and multi-instrumentalist. My Violence differs significantly from Sugarplum Fairies’ distinctive blend of Americana folk, shoegaze, and pop sensibilities. My new My Violence persona is less polished, purer and rawer, and revels in dreamlike noir.
You’ve described your sound as unfolding like “Super 8 film memories and late-night reverie.” How do visual aesthetics, like film or photography, influence your songwriting and production process?
MY VIOLENCE: Visual aesthetics have always been a pivotal influence in my songwriting and production process in videos, album artwork, etc. I used to work as a Sr. Fashion Editor in Vienna and London in the 80s but most of my inspiration derives from 1960’s French New Wave movies and early 1970’s German 8mm avantgarde performance art.
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