It’s ‘Always Hell’ for Coliseum Offshoot Fotocrime

Last year, in the wake of his band's 2015 LP, Anxiety's Kiss, Coliseum frontman Ryan Patterson adopted abbreviated pseudonym R. Pattern and decided to go solo as Fotocrime. "From its themes to its composition, Fotocrime’s aim is to forge a connection between the shadows: the underbelly of the mid-century American Dream, the ghostly corners of post-war Europe, and the time in which I exist and am creating at this moment," he says via press release. Unsurprisingly, for a home-brewed project, Fotocrime skews leaner than Coliseum, rooted in sparse synths and rudimentary riffs, a far cry from his usual leaden post-hardcore.

After holing himself up in his home studio for the past several months, Pattern is gearing up to drop the project's inaugural 7", Always Hell (recorded alongside J. Robbins of Jawbox fame), tomorrow. Today, he's shared an appropriately dire visual for the title track. Directed by Joe Watson, the black-and-white clip explores humanity's ups and downs — as well as Patterson's performance of the song — through a bifocal lens. For every sign of doom (burning houses, mushroom clouds), there's a cheery glimpse of the good old days (a backyard party, a bountiful restaurant feast). Watson flits back and forth between these two worlds and periodically combines them, presenting a fragmented American portrait that — however nostalgically constructed — feels unmistakably current in these divided days. Watch below.

R. Pattern will self-release Fotocrime's Always Hell 7" on May 12. Pre-order it here.

FOTOCRIME ON TOUR
Jun. 27 — Chicago, IL @ Gman Tavern
Jun. 29 — Toronto, ON @ Baby G
Jun. 30 — Ottawa, ON @ Pressed
Jul. 1 — Montreal, QC @ Turbohaus
Jul. 2 — Boston, MA @ O’Briens Pub
Jul. 3 — Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus
Jul. 6 — Philadelphia, PA @ Boot and Saddle
Jul. 8 — Columbus, OH @ Café Bourbon Street