PVRIS

PVRIS fused atmospheric electronic layers with dark alternative rock while progressing over ten years from an underground post-hardcore act to an international pop headliner. Led by singer, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and LGBTQ+ icon Lyndsey Gunnulfsen, the project—pronounced "Paris"—issued its first album, White Noise, in 2014 and reached alternative-chart success in both the U.S. and U.K. Three years afterward, PVRIS delivered the driving second album All We Know of Heaven, All We Need of Hell. Entering the new decade, the band’s style had developed into an urgent, melodic mix of beat-driven synth rock showcased on the third album, Use Me. During this period Gunnulfsen disclosed that she had originated and shaped PVRIS from the outset, managing songwriting, production, and instrumentation throughout. She resurfaced in 2023 with the empowering fourth album Evergreen.

The band originated in 2012 in Lowell, Massachusetts, initially operating as a local metalcore group until vocalist Gunnulfsen separated to launch PVRIS alongside bassist Brian MacDonald, drummer Brad Griffin, and guitarist Alex Babinski. In its earliest form the project recalled contemporaries Tonight Alive, Against the Current, and Paramore, a style captured on the self-titled debut EP released in early 2013. At the same time Gunnulfsen and her bandmates cultivated a loyal audience through live performances, including summer appearances on the Vans Warped Tour and the Rise Up Tour with Skylit Drive, Wolves at the Gate, and For All Those Sleeping. Late in 2013 Griffin exited, leaving Gunnulfsen to front a core trio. Partnering with producer Blake Harnage of Versa, the group entered the studio to record its first proper album.

June 2014 brought the announcement that PVRIS had joined Rise Records, becoming the label’s first female-fronted act. White Noise followed in November and reached the U.S. Alternative Top Ten while also charting in the U.K. After sustained touring, PVRIS scheduled its first headlining run, paired with a reissue of White Noise that added the previously unreleased single “You and I.” In 2017 the band toured with Muse and Thirty Seconds to Mars before issuing the sophomore album All We Know of Heaven, All We Need of Hell, whose singles included “Heaven” and “What’s Wrong.” A Marian Hill remix of the track “Same Soul,” featuring singer Jaymes Young, surfaced the next year.

Gunnulfsen resurfaced in 2019 under a new Warner label with a fresh sonic direction on the single “Death of Me,” a pulsing synth-washed dance track co-written with Joywave’s Daniel Armbruster. Another electronic-leaning song, the Marshmello-assisted “Hallucinations,” arrived a month later. Both cuts appeared on the five-track stopgap EP Hallucinations, released to sustain fans ahead of the next album cycle. While preparing that release, Gunnulfsen issued the singles “Dead Weight” and “Gimme a Minute,” further emphasizing electronic textures. After repeated delays, the cathartic Use Me arrived that August. Working with JT Daly of K.Flay, Gunnulfsen explored personal material ranging from relationship difficulties to her experiences with autoimmune disease. The week of the album’s release, Babinski’s departure from the project was announced.

In subsequent years Gunnulfsen collaborated with morgxn, Kat Cunning, Joywave, Rezz, HOKO, TWIN XL, Miyavi, Bad Suns, and others. She also released the standalone PVRIS single “Monster.” In 2022 she unveiled the tracks “Anywhere But Here” and “Animal,” accompanied by a short film directed by friend and tourmate Jax Anderson. Together with the 2023 rousing anthem “Goddess,” these songs previewed the next PVRIS chapter, which materialized that July as Evergreen. Focused on empowerment themes, the album further polished the project’s melodic alt-rock hybrid, evident on tracks such as the Mike Shinoda-assisted “Take My Nirvana.”