London post-punk and ethereal-grunge quartet Dogviolet have released their anticipated new EP Wilting, a four-track collection that explores survival, inherited trauma and the conditions that shape our ability to thrive.
Drawing on the natural world, the EP uses botanical imagery as both motif and metaphor, with wilting becoming a reflection of resilience rather than an indication of defeat. Across the record, Dogviolet move between post-punk grit, gothic atmosphere, shoegaze haze and grunge weight, pairing folk-inflected melodies with towering distortion and moments of raw, intimate vulnerability.
At the heart of Wilting is the idea that survival is shaped by circumstance. The EP considers what happens when individuals are placed in environments that prevent them from flourishing, widening that idea from personal experience to questions of social injustice, familial expectation and the state of the wider world.
Lead vocalist and lyricist Naz Toorabally explains:
“Wilting felt like a fitting metaphor for a collection of songs about not losing hope in the face of adversity. A wilting plant might be a sign of the beginning of the end, but it’s certainly not all over if you provide it with the right conditions.
These songs are about being put in conditions that don’t allow you to thrive and reach your full potential, though hope is woven through each track. Our singles Daisy Crowns and Daughter explore this from my personal experiences, whereas Fig Leaves and Black Walnut focus on the state of the world we’re living in. I’ve seen what losing hope does to a person and I don’t want to succumb to the lure of hopelessness.”
Produced by Dogviolet’s own Ella Patenall and recorded and mixed alongside Tom Hill, whose credits include GENN, Pollyanna, Knuckledust and I Feel Fine, Wilting finds the band expanding their sound without losing the spectral quality at the centre of their music. Layered guitars and slow-burning crescendos provide a backdrop for Toorabally’s evocative vocals, with songs shifting between stripped-back intimacy and abrasive, cathartic release.
Recent single ‘Daughter’ captures that contrast particularly sharply. Exploring the expectations placed upon an eldest daughter within a family, the track begins in a floating, restrained space before erupting into biting guitars, thunderous drums and a vocal performance that moves from haunting composure to confrontation.
Elsewhere, ‘Fig Leaves’ takes aim at misogyny and charts a feminist awakening through dark, atmospheric grunge, while ‘Black Walnut’ turns its attention towards societal breakdown and the actions of those in positions of power. The track combines theatricality with rich psychedelic flourishes to create a more expansive expression of the EP’s wider concerns. ‘Daisy Crowns’, meanwhile, looks back towards the freedoms of youth, contrasting bittersweet nostalgia with the pressures of adulthood across a floating, shoegaze-influenced soundscape.
Taken as a whole, Wilting moves between the personal and the societal, examining the environments that influence who we become while simultaneously marking a stylistic step forward for Dogviolet. The result is a record that embraces heaviness and abrasion while retaining a sense of fragility and beauty.
The band’s history stretches back well before Dogviolet’s formation. Toorabally and Patenall first met in their Year 10 English classroom, beginning a creative partnership that has continued for more than fifteen years. They formed Dogviolet in 2022, later joined by drummer Lauren Allpress and bassist Margot Cintract, and have since established themselves within London’s alternative music scene through a combination of emotionally direct songwriting and ambitious live performances.
That live identity has become an important part of Dogviolet’s growing reputation. The band have supported Heartworms at Village Underground, The Wedding Present at O2 Institute Birmingham, and L.A. Witch and Whitelands at MOTH Club, building an increasingly devoted audience along the way.
To mark the release of Wilting, Dogviolet will play an immersive headline show at The Victoria on 25th September. The event will also offer fans the chance to pick up an accompanying zine exploring the EP’s themes through artwork, photography and writing, extending the world created by the record beyond the music itself.
Listen to the new EP below:
