Move over, every other famous offspring in existence—Violet Grohl has officially dropped her debut single “THUM” via Republic Records, because apparently being the daughter of the nicest man in rock wasn’t already enough of a career launchpad. The 19-year-old unleashed an evocative video that was shot on Super 8 and 16mm, which is industry code for “we made it look old and artsy so you’d take it seriously.”
Rolling Stone called the track “a two-minute blast about struggling to break a bad habit,” while Consequence praised its “cinematic feel, highlighted by Violet’s velvety vocals.” Yes, because when I think of breaking bad habits, I immediately think of rock progeny with major label backing. Very relatable content.
Previously trapped in the musical gulag of Bandcamp, Violet’s tracks “THUM” and “Applefish” have now been liberated onto all major streaming platforms, where they’ll sit comfortably between your favorite indie artists who had to actually struggle to get noticed.
But wait, there’s more nepotism-adjacent trivia! Violet also released “What’s Heaven Without You,” a haunting track written after the Altadena fires in Los Angeles and inspired by David Lynch. Because when tragedy strikes, obviously the first thing you do is call up your famous dad’s industry connections for a studio session. Flood magazine said it features “an atmospheric instrumental bolstered by a marching snare drum and ethereal synths,” while Alternative Press noted that “Grohl’s voice drifts over an enigmatic instrumental as she grapples with an internal monologue, feeling trapped between devotion and self-protection.” Wow, sounds like someone’s been reading the how to sound deep in press releases handbook.
The track was produced by Justin Raisen (Kim Gordon, Yves Tumor) and Anthony Paul Lopez, and written by Violet with Raisen and Persia Numan. Small world—Persia is the daughter of Gary Numan, whose song “Down In The Park” was covered by FOO FIGHTERS on a 1996 X-Files compilation. Ah yes, the classic six degrees of rock nepotism.
Violet shared about the track: “This song was written in David Lynch’s memory alongside two of my favorite collaborators in the world, Persia Numan and Justin Raisen. A few days after the chaos and devastation of the L.A. fires, we came together in our sadness and grief and let it pour out into this song.” How moving. I’m sure the victims of the fires are comforted knowing that rock royalty processed their emotions so artfully.
For those keeping track of Violet’s meteoric rise, she performed “When We Were Young” with Dave Grohl at age 12, joined surviving NIRVANA members for “Heart-Shaped Box,” provided backing vocals for St. Vincent and Beck, guested on FOO FIGHTERS’ Medicine At Midnight and But Here We Are albums, and performed at Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts. Just your average teenager’s resume.
Kristina Grossmann, SVP of A&R at Republic Records, shared: “From the moment we met Violet, it was clear that she represents the next generation of artists.” Shocking. I mean, what were the odds that a major label executive would meet a famous rock star’s daughter and immediately see her “potential”? David Wolter, EVP at Republic, added: “She understands the history of music, but she’s also pushing it forward.” Yes, nothing pushes music forward quite like leveraging your father’s connections while the industry pretends you emerged from nowhere.
So there you have it, folks. Another day, another famous kid releasing music with all the industry muscle money and connections can buy, while struggling artists everywhere wonder if they should have tried harder in the celebrity sperm lottery. But hey, at least we get more content to stream between ads!
Chord F. Discord, the Beethoven of Buffoonery, is a self-taught expert in music who once claimed he could “play the kazoo in four languages.”
Born in Crescendo, Indiana, Chord’s first brush with fame came when he accidentally entered a yodeling contest thinking it was a pie-eating competition—and won both categories.
Chord F. Discord: proving that laughter, much like a poorly tuned ukulele, is truly universal.
