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Blank Banshee

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Blank Banshee
The logo used at the top of Blank Banshee's album covers
The logo used at the top of Blank Banshee's album covers
Background information
Birth namePatrick Driscoll
Born (1986-06-28) June 28, 1986 (age 38)
Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Genres
Years active2009–present
LabelsHologram Bay
Websiteblankbanshee.com

Patrick Driscoll (born June 28, 1986[1]), known professionally as Blank Banshee, is a Canadian artist, musician and producer from Saint John, New Brunswick. He rose to popularity in 2012 with his album Blank Banshee 0, which combined traditional elements of vaporwave with trap music, a style now known as vaportrap. Blank Banshee's music has been described as a "balance of abstract ambience and dance-able trap".[2]

Career

[edit]

2010–2012: early years and Blank Banshee 0

[edit]

In 2010, Patrick Driscoll and vocalist Curtis "Cormorant" Ferguson (who had both previously been members of the band Shinjuku Mad) began performing live as "Blank Banshees".[3] In April 2011, Blank Banshees were featured performers on the Electro East Stage of the annual Canadian East Coast Music Awards.[3] By 2012 the duo had become a solo act, with Driscoll continuing to release instrumental music under the pseudonym "Blank Banshee" and Ferguson appearing as a recurrent guest vocalist.

In the summer of 2012, Driscoll left his Maritimes hometown, relocating to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada,[4] where he released his debut solo album Blank Banshee 0 shortly thereafter.[5][6] The production style of Blank Banshee 0 dubbed "vaportrap" helped bring vaporwave to prominence in the 2010s.[7]

The track "Teen Pregnancy" appeared in the February 29, 2016 viral video named "S U N D A Y S C H O O L" posted by "Lucien Hugues" associated with Simpsonwave[8] and again in a 2020 TikTok trend.[9]

2013–2017: Blank Banshee 1 and Mega

[edit]

Following the release of Blank Banshee 0, Driscoll began work on his second album, Blank Banshee 1, released October 20, 2013.[10]

The Fader called Blank Banshee 1 "a masterwork of the new digital psychedelia"[10] and a "definitive document of the vaporwave era".[11]

A 2016 Esquire article cited Blank Banshee's musical style on Blank Banshee 1 as an example of the "direction that vaporwave has moved in, where the trap beat is emphasized and the political edge blunted".[5]

Six animated music videos (collectively known as 'Paradise Disc') were released in support of the album via the official Blank Banshee YouTube channel.[12]

In 2014, Driscoll began work on his third studio album, Mega, in Vancouver where he is based as of 2016.[13] The album was released October 20, 2016.[14] COMPLEX named Mega the "best release from the [Blank Banshee] project yet".[15]

In 2017 he embarked on "The MEGA Tour" a 34 date tour spanning Europe and North America.[16]

2019–2021: Metamorphosis and Gaia

[edit]

After announcing new music in January 2019,[17] Driscoll returned to Europe in May for "The Metamorphosis Tour",[18] which was followed by the release of an 18-minute "extended single" called Metamorphosis on June 20, 2019.[19] Metamorphosis was released on all major streaming platforms and received a limited run on cassette tape.

In addition to its original format, a download-only version featuring 15 individual tracks called Metamorphosis: Extracted was released.[20] The same 15 tracks were also released as a collection of MIDI files called 'MIDImorphosis'.[21]

On January 1, 2020, the upcoming release of a 4th studio album was confirmed by Driscoll via Twitter.[22]

On October 20, he tweeted a short promotional video[23] subsequently confirming Gaia's November 30 release date.[24][25] The album was released on vinyl, cassette and all major streaming platforms on November 30, 2020, along with a dedicated web page containing additional promotional media.[26]

Gaia was supported by Chaos Disc, a series of six animated music videos released throughout 2021.[27]

2022–present: Music for Menus and 4D

[edit]

A new Blank Banshee project entitled Music for Menus was released February 22, 2022.[28]

On July 1, 2023, the blankbanshee.com website was updated sending visitors to a page containing a snippet of the track Time Thief, and displayed an automated toll-free phone number that played additional snippets when dialed. On August 1, 2023, Driscoll announced the release of the album 4D on August 20, 2023, along with an accompanying 4D Tour beginning in early October of that year.

Discography

[edit]

Albums

EPs

  • Metamorphosis (2019)
  • Music for Menus (2022)

Non-album tracks ("MISSINGNOs")

  • Cormorant (2011)
  • Equinox (2011)
  • Zenesis (2012)
  • Chlorophyl (2012)
  • Marble Bust (2015)
  • Memorization (2020)
  • Lunar (2022)
  • Snake Oil (2022)
  • Will O the Wisp (2022)
  • Air Ball (2022)
  • Lime Tree (2022)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ López, Andrés. "Setting the Record Straight: An Interview with Blank Banshee". Melisma. Archived from the original on April 18, 2024. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  2. ^ Chandler, Simon (October 17, 2016). "After a Three-Year Hiatus, Blank Banshee Breaks His Silence with "MEGA"". Bandcamp Daily. Archived from the original on November 28, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Electro East Stage for the 2011 ECMA's – Get to know the artists". Noisography. April 12, 2011. Archived from the original on May 1, 2018.
  4. ^ MacDonald-Dupuis, Natasha (June 16, 2015). "The Exodus of the Maritimes' Creative Class Is Hurting Its Electronic Music Scene". Vice. Archived from the original on June 25, 2018.
  5. ^ a b "How Vaporwave Was Created Then Destroyed by the Internet [An exploration of the anti-consumerism music that died the way it lived.]". Esquire Magazine. August 18, 2016. Archived from the original on August 19, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  6. ^ "Blank Banshee – Official Website". Blank Banshee. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016.
  7. ^ "Genre As Method: The Vaporwave Family Tree, From Eccojams to Hardvapour". Bandcamp Daily. November 21, 2016. Archived from the original on September 24, 2018. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  8. ^ "What the Hell Is Simpsonwave?". Pitchfork. June 14, 2016. Archived from the original on June 22, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  9. ^ Twersky, Carolyn (May 19, 2020). "Charli D'Amelio Just Posted and Deleted a Heartbreaking TikTok About All the Online Hate She Receives". Seventeen. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021.
  10. ^ a b "System Focus: The Evolution of the Voice in the Digital Landscape". The Fader. Archived from the original on January 12, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  11. ^ "Blank Banshee Returns With New Album MEGA". The Fader. October 10, 2016. Archived from the original on September 24, 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  12. ^ "Blank Banshee – B:/ Infinite Login [1/6]". YouTube. October 19, 2013. Archived from the original on November 22, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  13. ^ Chandler, Simon (October 17, 2016). "[Interview] After a Three-Year Hiatus, Blank Banshee Breaks His Silence with "MEGA"". Archived from the original on March 24, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  14. ^ Bowman, Paige (November 9, 2016). "Blank Banshee: The Anonymous Internet Sensation in Our Vicinity [Interview]". Rendrd Magazine. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  15. ^ "Blank Banshee Returns with New Album 'Mega'". COMPLEX. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  16. ^ "Blank Banshee Official Facebook page [Mega Tour announcement]". Facebook. July 28, 2017.
  17. ^ Driscoll, Patrick (January 1, 2019). "Blank Banshee on Twitter". Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  18. ^ Driscoll, Patrick (March 15, 2019). "Blank Banshee on Twitter". Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  19. ^ Driscoll, Patrick (June 20, 2019). "Metamorphosis, Bandcamp". Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  20. ^ "Blank Banshee – Metamorphosis". Blank Banshee. June 20, 2019. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020.
  21. ^ "Midimorphosis". Blank Banshee. January 1, 2020. Archived from the original on January 19, 2020.
  22. ^ Driscoll, Patrick (January 1, 2020). "Blank Banshee on Twitter". Archived from the original on July 24, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  23. ^ Driscoll, Patrick (October 20, 2020). "Blank Banshee on Twitter". Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  24. ^ Driscoll, Patrick. "MissingNos webpage". Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  25. ^ Driscoll, Patrick. "Memorization on YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  26. ^ Driscoll, Patrick. "Blank Banshee on Twitter". Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  27. ^ "Blank Banshee – Chaos Disc [Playlist]". YouTube. January 1, 2021. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021.
  28. ^ "Blank Banshee Twitter Music For Menus Announcement". February 22, 2022. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
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