Combining the frosty abrasiveness of acts such as Christian Death and Skinny Puppy with the more accessible pop stylings of Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys, Prayers is an electronic rock outfit formed in 2013. Originating out of San Diego, California and comprising members Leafar Seyer (real name Rafael Reyes) and Dave Parley, the band came together after Seyer sought to form a new project after having helmed various others, including Baptism of Thieves and Vampire. The duo aimed to lyrically depict the pitfalls of gang life after Seyer had experienced the culture during his teens. This, combined with reverb-laden drums, resonant synth work, and elements of post-punk, led to the group coining the term "cholo-goth." Prayers independently released their first full-length, SD Killwave, in 2013 and followed with the Gothic Summer EP the next year. The video for one of the SD Killwave singles, "From Dog to God," caught the attention of the Cult's Ian Astbury, who invited Prayers to open for him on a 2014 tour. Seyer also went on to win awards for Best Music Video and Best Music Video Editing at the San Diego Film Festival in 2015. That same year also saw Prayers return with their second full-length effort, Young Gods, which was produced by blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and featured a cover of Pet Shop Boys' "West End Girls" as its lead single. They went on to receive five nominations at the 2015 San Diego Music Awards, ultimately winning Best Alternative Band. Prayers spent 2016 working on the follow-up and released the single "Black Leather," which featured celebrity tattoo artist Kat Von D. The following year, the band signed with BMG and delivered two new releases: Curse Be Thy Blessings, an EP with the original members of Christian Death (accompanied with a documentary entitled Beyond and Back that chronicled the collaboration), and their third album, Baptism of Thieves. Both releases arrived in the fall of 2017. ~ Rob Wacey