The cinematic, candy-coated, noir-hearted Prom Queen allures like a pink-blue-purple smoke stream – one of those cartoon smokes, even – with a hand on the end, index finger beckoning you toward the magic lamp, where, you’ll eventually find, the secret of your own curiosity: that love is mixed with poison and joy with a fall from grace. 

The real magic of Prom Queen, though, is in making all of this seem alright. She’s David Lynch mixed with family. A woman who beseeches you, “Lie to me”, while at the same time says, “Oh tell me that you love me.”

And she is loved. She raised over $15,000 (for instance) for her album, Midnight Veil, and the accompanying movie, which is a ride through 12 music videos (one for each song on MV) that push and pull you through 50’s diner doo-wops, 60’s car chases and an ever-exotic genie lamp heist.

Celene Ramadan, the wonderful woman behind the Prom Queen aesthetic, is demure, reserved at times, but her look isn’t. It’s a flowing pink gown, it’s black bouffant hair, it’s tall boots, blue eye-shadow and a smirk. Her music career started with chiptunes (music made from Gameboy sounds). She has worked delivering musical telegrams. She is smart, savvy, and drives a bright yellow smart car!

Here is the astonishing video for the fourth track on the record, “Can’t Seem To Cry.” It’s timeless and classic despite it’s genre presentation.

Just about every song kills me on PQ’s record, which will be released in Seattle Oct. 11 at Fred’s Wildlife Refuge in Capitol Hill. My absolute favorites, though, are, “Lie To Me” where Prom Queen begs of us to tell her what she wants while a bed of driving, cold highway music propels us toward a cliff of desperation. “Baby,” she says, “look me in the eyes. And lie!”

My other favorite track is, “You Are Always With Me,” which I had the pleasure of hearing her record live for Sean De Tore’s mixtape podcast with Ty Foster. Check that out here:

Prom Queen will be performing for the television show Band In Seattle tomorrow (Oct. 1^st) at Victory Studios. You can buy tickets for that performance here. We highly recommend you do.