Beneath the smoke and mirrors of Provoker’s aching melodies is a spirit seeking clarity. When they first emerged, Provoker’s narrative was parallel to their infernal, no wave sound. The band’s core songwriters, lyricist Christian Crow Petty and instrumentalist Jonathon Lopez, met at a screening of the 2016 black comedy film The Greasy Strangler , paired together by Christian’s older brother. An EP and two albums later, Provoker have established themselves as major players in LA’s underground. Straddling dystopic post-punk and pop melodies, their unique formula has won them a devoted audience and a sold-out North American tour. Their last album Demon Compass dropped on Friday the 13th, a statement of the band’s unique ambition – the record features a highly developed mythology complete with a choose-your-own-adventure game alongside their most AAA pop cuts yet. They also cut four cinema-grade visuals, threw a release party in the Hollywood Hills and recruited LA enigma Eyedress for a feature on album highlight “Freezing Alive”. Currently touring North America, they’ve got a slate of sold-out dates ahead of them, with two back-to-back nights at Baby’s All Right in NY.