Genre Is Death drop ‘I See Red’ and it’s everything NYC noise was supposed to be

Genre Is Death drop I See Red — ‘Attractive People’ out May 1st on In The Red Records

NYC noise duo Genre Is Death are not here to play nice — and that’s exactly the point. Formed by Ty Varesi (guitar, vox) and Tayler Lee (bass, vox), the pair moved to New York in 2023 chasing something more than day drinking and doom metal in friends’ basements. What they found was a city with a legacy worth pushing forward — not recycling. Their sound is heavy distortion, dissonant riffs, and reverberating vocals that somehow manage to feel both minimal and overwhelming at once. Yeah, Sonic Youth, Pussy Galore, and Teenage Jesus and the Jerks are going to come up — and Genre Is Death wouldn’t flinch at those comparisons — but they’re building on NYC’s noise lineage rather than living inside it. No nostalgia. No nihilism. Just total sonic liberation.

Watch: I See Red

I See Red was written in a single spontaneous flash — literally one week before the band’s annual Black Tie Party at Madame X, a sultry burlesque club in the LES. The duo had been deep in Rowland S. Howard and Lydia Lunch’s ‘Shotgun Wedding’, and the influence hit hard and fast. The song arrived without pause or challenge, perfectly matched to the seductive energy of the space that inspired it. Fittingly, Lydia Lunch stepped up to produce the video, tapping Jasmine Hirst to direct and shoot. The result is Genre Is Death wandering through the LES, posing a question that lingers long after the feedback fades: how much has NYC really changed?

About ‘Attractive People’

‘Attractive People’ drops May 1st on In The Red Records, recorded by the legendary Martin Bisi — the sound engineer behind records by Sonic Youth and Swans. The pedigree is real, and if I See Red is any indication, this record is going to hit hard. After landing in NYC, the duo wasted no time — playing anywhere and everywhere they could until a chance encounter with 80s noise forerunners Live Skull pulled them into the city’s strange underbelly. Regular gigs with The Art Gray Noizz Quintet and Lydia Lunch followed, then New Colossus Festival, a tour with Gogol Bordello, and shared stages with Cherubs, Bush Tetras, and Jon Spencer. Not bad for a couple of doom kids from out of town.

Pre-order ‘Attractive People’

What People Are Saying

“Menacing and sexy, living in the dark urban corners where the roaches still roam.” — Donita Sparks, L7

“Sexy Southern Fried Psycho-Sludge, Genre Is Death is heavy as hell, wonderfully weird and absolutely irresistible.” — Lydia Lunch

“A whirlwind of grinds, squalls, screams and power…” — Cynthia Sley, Bush Tetras

“Genre is Death is smart, feral, uncompromising, and diametrically opposed to an indie scene populated by floppy-hatted nepo babies content to recycle milquetoast rock music until the inheritance comes through.” — Erick Bradshaw, Bandcamp Daily

Catch Them Live

5/3 — New York, NY @ Madame X

A Red Tie Nite of Noizz & Words: ‘Attractive People’ Album Release Show
ft. Genre Is Death, Sylvia Black, Skull Practitioners, Erica Mancini’s Electronium, Bob Bert, Martin Bisi, Stu Spasm, Liz Lamere, Ron Ward & More

Get Tickets

A limited edition 7″ will be available in person at the show only. You know what to do.