Voluptuous Panic

Voluptuous Panic is an American indie rock duo founded in 2013 by Gretchen DeVault, who is the primary singer and songwriter in the prominent indie-pop group The Icicles,[1][2] and music journalist/author Brian J. Bowe.[3][4][5][6] The duo’s music has been described as hypnotic, textured and dreamy, mixing elements of shoegaze, dream pop and trip-hop.[7]

Bowe and DeVault met in 2008 when he wrote a cover story chronicling the Icicles' success in the indie pop world -- including placements in international commercials for Target Corporation and Motorola[8] -- for the alumni magazine of their shared alma mater, Grand Valley State University.[9] The pair stayed in touch and began collaborating. In 2010, they recorded Bowe's score for the film "The Death of an Imam",[10][11] which was nominated for a regional Emmy[12] and won the Best of Festival Award at the Broadcast Education Association's Festival of Media Arts.[13]

Following the release of the Icicles’ dark “Renegade Parade” album, DeVault found she needed an outlet for the more melancholic side of her writing—particularly after her struggle with postpartum depression.[14] During that period, Bowe was living in France and teaching at CELSA Paris. He began sharing song ideas with the Michigan-based DeVault remotely. This process of recording separately is one the group retains. In an interview, Bowe called the remote recording process one of Voluptuous Panic’s defining characteristics. “It’s a slow conversation, but it allows us to access deep emotional spaces that might not be possible in a room with a lot of other people,” he said.[7]

The group adopted the name Voluptuous Panic in 2013, after Bowe came upon the phrase in the book "Frame Analysis" by sociologist Erving Goffman while conducting Ph.D. research.[7]

Starting in 2014, Voluptuous Panic began releasing a series of singles.[15][16] The group earned notice as “one of the most stylish guitar bands to emerge on the shoegaze scene” [17] and has drawn frequent comparisons to Slowdive, which the group cites as an influence.[18][17] In 2015, they collaborated with French electronic musician Human Koala on the song “Zyva,” which combined psychedelic guitars with modular synthesizers and drum machine beats.[19]

In 2016, Voluptuous Panic released an EP titled “Une Sorte de Panique Voluptueuse,” which was a remixed collection of its earliest demos.[20] The group also appeared on the compilation “Big Day Coming,” a tribute to the band Yo La Tengo.[21]

Voluptuous Panic rarely performs live. For a few shows in 2013, the group was augmented by a rock rhythm section that included Icicles drummer Zane DeVault; in 2014, they performed with Icicles keyboardist Joleen Rumsey.[22]