Verity Den by Verity Den

Verity Den was born of chance meetings and life-long dedications. The band is comprised of Casey Proctor, Trevor Reece and Mike Wallace, all of whom spent considerable time in their respective and shared DIY-music communities before converging to form the group in early 2023. Casey and Trevor initially met as members of an ad-hoc improv ensemble performing tape loops, strings, and electronics as part of a multi-disciplinary series hosted on a rooftop in Chapel Hill called Attic 506. Soon after, the three shifted from long-running musical projects to focus on exploring new sonic territories together. The band operates in an ever-evolving dynamic of group improvisation and studio experimentation, capturing moments of coarse circuit completion and bringing to fruition long-gestating ideas and songs. The sound is raw and largely unadorned, transmitting both truth and wildness.

Working from a dedicated studio space in Carrboro, NC, songs came together quickly, and became the basis for a short run of self-released cassettes that quickly sold out. These recordings made their way to Amish Records and were reconstituted into a more substantial full-length release. Engineered and mixed at home by Casey, the self-titled LP presents a guitar music refracted through clamor and tenderness, static and hiss, drum machine and synth. The lyrics survey themes of existential exhaustion and impressionistic reflections, all bound with persistent hooks and equally acidic edges. Each band member remain as influenced by regional punk and DIY bands of their respective hometowns, as they are of like-minded bands like Swirlies and Should. A sense of deep and ego-less collaboration runs through their process, as instruments are exchanged, vocal duties are shared and drum machines meld with live drum kits. Their glary rerouting can be heard in every song. The live unit is supplemented with an expanding cast of friends and rippers, that presents the music at its gentlest and most cacophonous. Truth uncertain, shadows move against a small room. Animal communication isn't unity gain.