Seattle darkwave trio, Licorice Chamber, led by renowned goth chanteuse Layla Reyna (Strap On Halo), have announced their forthcoming EP, Sentience (8 July 2024), and a string of US West Coast tour dates for July 2024. Licorice Chamber are joined on their ‘Grey Skies Tour’ by Replicas (Takoma) and 2Libras (Seattle).
Since her debut solo outing as Licorice Chamber with The Taste of Falling EP (2022), Layla has now been joined in the band by bassist Joe Fox, and by former Strap On Halo bandmate Marc Jones, now on guitar. Licorice Chamber have been gigging extensively together around the Pacific Northwest since 2022, and are excited to embark on their first West Coast tour in July 2024.
The new Sentience EP is ushered in by its lead single, ‘All I Ever Wanted’ (out now): a song that Layla describes as being “about desire”. Speaking about the EP, Licorice Chamber go on to say:
Layla: We had about a dozen or so songs that we had initially intended to release as a full-length album. But time waits for no one, and we are extremely eager. These four songs came together so effortlessly that we were able to add them to our set and record them rather effortlessly. The remaining songs are on hold till we return from our upcoming tour. The Sentience EP to me is both pain and pleasure, negative and positive, which my lyrics mirror within the human condition.
Marc: Working with Layla has always been easy. My personal challenge was transitioning from Strap On Halo’s bassist to Licorice Chamber’s guitarist. I still have a lot to learn, but I am involved with positive, motivated artists who appreciate my contributions.
Joe: All 4 songs of this ep regard the human experience, and the word “sentience” expresses this notion in a single, beautiful word.
Asked what they are most looking forward to about the Grey Skies Tour, the band added:
Joe: The deeper connections we will make, new friends, and adventures we will surely have with these other two bands, whose members also double as our good friends. I am also looking forward to learning all that I can from the other bands. It is going to be a blast!
Marc: We got to know Replicas and 2Libras well outside of venues, and we enjoy their company. Besides performing, I am most looking forward to new friends we will meet along the way, and the bond with our tour mates traveling together in VanGo (our nickname for our van) who had been with us since the first Strap On Halo tour.
Layla: It was an obvious choice to tour with Replicas and 2Libras. We are all from the greater Seattle area and promoters kept putting us on the same bill. So, I decided to invite them both along to tour. Not only do I enjoy their music, but we are all quite good friends as well. I feel that this will just solidify the friendship we all have. One of my favorite things to do is perform and tour. What better way than by doing so with friends?
Grey Skies Tour 2024 – Licorice Chamber with 2Libras and Replicas
• Friday 5 July – The Church Cantina – Tacoma, WA
• Saturday 13 July – The Down Under – Omaha, NE
• Sunday 14 July – Minibar – Kansas City, MO
• Tuesday 16 July – The Mix – San Antonio, TX
• Wednesday 17 July – 101 – El Paso, TX
• Saturday 20 July – Bricks Rock Bar – Maywood, CA
• Tuesday 23 July – Siren Song Tavern – Eureka, CA
• Wednesday 24 July – Johnny B’s – Medford, OR
• Thursday 25 July – Old Nicks Pub – Eugene, OR
• Friday 26 July – The Coffin Club – Portland, OR
• Friday 2 August – Southgate Roller Rink – Seattle, WA
Follow Licorice Chamber:
Bandcamp: https://licoricechamber.bandcamp.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0pkc03gZHD2x0ynR8G86Uc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LicoriceChamber
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/licoricechamber/