Dead Prom Queens

Dead Prom Queens make deathrock and trash goth post-punk with the tape hiss left in: drum machines and handclaps, fuzzy bass out front, cheap synth stabs and a jangling guitar, recorded on a four-track.

Cilla Hex fronts the band, a theatrical, unsteady voice that swings from sweet to shrill inside a line. Dead Wren Walking plays bass, guitar and keys, and sings two songs. Ellis Static plays guitar and synths and does the programming.

Class of Never is their first album: a night at the prom, from the crowning to the last slow dance.

Cilla Hex grew up in Daly City, a few minutes from the cemeteries in Colma, and says the dead make the best neighbors. She sings, programs the drum machines and builds the samples herself, usually alone, usually after midnight. Every Dead Prom Queens song started as one of hers. She’s currently working on solo material.

Likes: thrift-store prom dresses, horror soundtracks, being the loudest person in the room. Dislikes: being told to smile.

Wren Tran was classically trained on piano, then traded it for a bass in college-radio bands. She carries the melody of most Dead Prom Queens songs on the low end, and when she takes the mic it’s usually for something sparse and cold. She runs the fanzine table at shows and keeps notes on who comes back. She’s currently on the road with a touring act.

Likes: bass amps, quiet parts, finished zines. Dislikes: people who talk through the quiet part.

Ellis Abernathy dropped out of art school on the Peninsula and taught themself synthesizers from the manuals. They play keys and guitar, sing backing vocals, and run Cilla’s beats live without missing a cue. They have no interest in fronting a band. They’re currently on the road with a touring act.

Likes: discontinued synths, patch cables, 3 a.m. Dislikes: unlabeled cables, being asked to sing lead.