American trio Provoker have revealed their new single, ‘Pantomime’. The track is defined by the band’s signature darkness, which first reveals itself as a deep, dark guitar riff filled with an ominous grungy attitude. The remainder of the track is filled with electronic grooves and an infectiously catchy lead vocal. “I wanted to write a song that felt baroque – loosely about the town fool falling in love with a debutant or something – but the main theme revolves around how falling in love feels like a descent into madness,” explains singer Christian Crow Petty. “I was inspired by this Shakespeare quote, ‘Sleeping or waking, mad or well-advised?’ The song and visual are supposed to be sort of nauseating like you’re so intoxicated by the reward system that you don’t realize how deeply you’ve sunk into hysteria.” The track is taken from their forthcoming third full-length album, Mausoleum, due May 9th, 2025, via YEAR0001. -Dan Peeke