Steve Taylor
Sharp-witted new wave with a bite. Angular guitars and deadpan satire for listeners who prefer their rock with a side of social subversion.
Sharp-witted new wave with a bite. Angular guitars and deadpan satire for listeners who prefer their rock with a side of social subversion.
Steve Taylor sounds like the smartest, most caffeinated person in the room telling you exactly what is wrong with the world while a tight New Wave band plays behind him. His music is defined by a jittery, high-stakes energy that draws heavily from the angular post-punk of The Clash and the art-pop sensibilities of the early 1980s. It is bright, often synthetic, and relentlessly rhythmic, serving as a high-contrast backdrop for his distinctive vocal delivery.
What truly sets Taylor apart is his mastery of satire. He doesn't just sing songs; he inhabits characters and deconstructs social structures with a surgical precision that was unheard of in his contemporary scene. His voice often shifts from a dry, rhythmic deadpan to a theatrical sneer, mirroring the irony and urgency of his lyrics. This is music that demands your full attention, rewarding the listener with layers of wit and sonic detail that reveal themselves over time.
Start with 'I Predict 1990' to hear Taylor at his most ambitious and controversial. It captures the perfect intersection of his sharpest songwriting and the polished, aggressive production of the late 80s. If you want to hear the raw, punk-influenced roots of his sound, the 'I Want To Be A Clone' EP is essential listening.
Roland Stephen Taylor (born December 9, 1957) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, music executive, filmmaker, assistant professor, and actor. A figure in what has come to be known as Christian alternative rock, Taylor enjoyed a successful solo career during the 1980s, and also served in the short-lived group Chagall Guevara. In contrast to many Christian musical artists, his songs have often taken aim at Christian hypocrisy with the use of satirical, sardonic lyrics. In 1997, he founded the record label Squint Entertainment, which fueled the careers of artists such as Sixpence None the Richer, Chevelle, and Burlap to Cashmere. Despite this success, Taylor was ousted from the label by its parent, Word Entertainment, in 2001. Taylor has produced and written for numerous musical acts, one of the most consistent being Newsboys. As a film-maker, Taylor co-wrote, directed, and produced the feature films Down Under the Big Top, The Second Chance, and Blue Like Jazz. After a decade long hiatus, Taylor returned to performing music in 2010 as the front-man for Steve Taylor & The Perfect Foil, a supergroup he founded with Peter Furler, Jimmy Abegg, and John Mark Painter. Along with a university residency and continued filmmaking, Taylor resumed work on unfinished Chagall Guevara material into the 2020s.
Shares new wave, post-punk, art rock (subgenres); deadpan, intense, spoken word (vocal style)
Shares alternative rock, new wave, post-punk (subgenres); electric guitar, keys/synth, drums (instrumentation)
Shares new wave, post-punk, synth-pop (subgenres); deadpan, intense, spoken word (vocal style)
Shares new wave, post-punk, art rock (subgenres); basement show, urban night, dive bar (atmosphere)
Shares alternative rock, new wave, post-punk (subgenres); electric guitar, keys/synth, drums (instrumentation)
Shares alternative rock, new wave, synth-pop (subgenres); digital clarity, maximalist, compressed loud (production style)
Shares post-punk, art rock, new wave (subgenres); urban night, basement show, focused work (atmosphere)
Shares alternative rock, post-punk, art rock (subgenres); digital clarity, studio polished, compressed loud (production style)
Shares alternative rock, new wave, post-punk (subgenres); deadpan, intense, spoken word (vocal style)
Shares new wave, deadpan, post-punk, spoken word (signature)
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