The Total Sound Of The Undergound

Lelahel Metal

In this raw and revealing interview, Ray Noir dives into the rage-fueled heartbreak behind Dead Valentine, exploring queer identity, revenge, and the chaotic beauty of turning pain into power.


1. “Dead Valentine” feels like a venomous love letter wrapped in heartbreak and rage. What inspired this track’s darker emotional tone compared to ‘Razorblade Romance’?

While “Razorblade Romance” was about the pain of not being able to live authentically, feeling like an outsider and carrying that trauma, “Dead Valentine” is much more spiteful. It’s about being completely into someone, letting your guard down, and then getting ghosted. It’s a venomous love letter, yeah, but one dipped in rage, not romance.

2. You’ve described the song as “an industrial revenge anthem.” What does revenge mean to you in the context of toxic love and obsession?

For me, revenge isn’t always about getting even, it’s about reclaiming your power. In the context of toxic love and obsession, it’s turning that humiliation or heartbreak into something loud, unapologetic, and dangerous. “Dead Valentine” is me screaming back instead of staying quiet. It’s the soundtrack to deleting the texts, blocking their number, and dancing in the ashes. Sometimes the most poetic revenge is surviving, and making it look good.

3. The lyric “My Dead Valentine, a heartbreaker, will you be mine?” is both haunting and romantic. Can you unpack the symbolism behind that chorus?

That line captures the most toxic part of obsession, when someone ghosts you or hurts you, but some twisted part of you still craves them. “My Dead Valentine” is about clinging to the ghost of what could’ve been, even when you know it’s self-destructive. It’s romantic in a delusional way, asking someone who shattered you if they’ll still be yours.

4. You wrote “Dead Valentine” with Madeleine Wood and Maxine Cahill. What was the creative chemistry like between you three, and how did the track take shape in the studio?

Madeleine’s been my ride-or-die collaborator for years, at this point, she’s basically my therapist. We’ve built such a strong creative bond that writing with her feels effortless, like she just gets what I’m trying to say before I even say it. Maxine came into the picture more recently, she played guitar for my live set at Resistanz Festival back in April, and absolutely crushed it. I asked if she’d be up for laying down some guitar for “Dead Valentine,” and she delivered exactly the grit and drama the track needed.

5. Jon Cass produced this single, with Joe Farr mixing and mastering. How did their production elevate the rawness and intensity of the track?

I worked with Jon Cass on both “Razorblade Romance” and “Dead Valentine”, he’s honestly a creative mastermind. The way he understands music is wild. He always says, “Music is easy,” and for him it actually seems to be. He brings this balance of chaos and control that really elevated the drama in the track. Joe Farr’s been my go-to for mastering the last few years, and he also mixed this one. He brought out all the tension and texture we wanted, I’m genuinely so happy with how it came out. It hits hard but still feels emotional.

6. The music video was shot in Hackney Wick’s graffitied skate park, giving off chaotic early-2000s punk vibes. What was the concept behind the visuals, and how does it tie into the story of the song?

Yeah, the skate park in Hackney Wick was such a cool location, all graffitied and raw, it gave off the perfect chaotic energy. I’ve been working with Maximum Perou recently on a few projects, and for this video we wanted to channel that early 2000s vibe, like Avril Lavigne and Sum 41 got thrown into a goth nightclub. The concept was pretty simple: us playing live in the middle of a skate park, surrounded by alt and goth kids just living their best lives. There’s also a cheeky little love-triangle moment to reflect the chaos and drama of the song, it’s messy, it’s fun, and it totally fits the vibe of “Dead Valentine.”

7. With references to goth, industrial, and early MTV2 energy, “Dead Valentine” sounds like a personal time capsule. Which artists or memories shaped the aesthetic of this era for you?

That era was everything to me, I grew up on industrial rock, nu metal, and all the chaotic beauty that came with it. Bands like Nine Inch Nails, Rammstein, Placebo, Korn, and Slipknot basically shaped my DNA. I’d stay up watching MTV2, completely obsessed with the eyeliner, the noise, the angst, it felt like an outlet for everything I was feeling but couldn’t say. “Dead Valentine” is definitely a love letter to that time, it’s loud, dramatic, and a little unhinged in the best way.

8. You’re playing shows with Pretty Addicted and Die Krupps later this year. How are you translating the emotional chaos of “Dead Valentine” into your live performances?

Yeah, we’ve got some killer shows lined up, a couple with Pretty Addicted in September and October, and one with Die Krupps in September. Live shows are where “Dead Valentine” really comes to life. We bring the chaos, the emotion, the punch, it’s raw and loud and cathartic as hell. The goal is always to make people feel something, whether that’s heartbreak, rage, or just the need to scream along.

9. Both “Razorblade Romance” and “Dead Valentine” explore queer heartbreak with brutal honesty. How has your audience responded to these unfiltered stories?

The response has been amazing. A lot of people have messaged me saying how much it means to see queerness represented in rock and metal, especially from someone openly gay. There still aren’t many role models in this scene for queer people, especially gay men, so I’m proud to be challenging that. Both “Razorblade Romance” and “Dead Valentine” are brutally honest because that’s my lived experience, and it’s important to show that vulnerability and rage can exist together, even in heavy music.

10. With this single marking a bold new chapter, what can we expect from Ray Noir moving into late 2025 and beyond? Is an album or EP in the works?

Yes, the EP drops on September 18th, and I honestly can’t wait to share it with everyone. It’s been such a journey putting it together, and it really captures where I’m at emotionally and sonically right now. We’re also deep in the studio working on new stuff already, and there are some killer remixes on the way too. I’m a total sucker for remixes, I love hearing other artists reinterpret my songs for the clubs. It adds a whole new layer of energy, and it keeps the tracks alive in a different world.

RAY NOIR

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