An Interview with Vempire

A new album from Vempire brings together some outstanding genre approaches that range from darkwave and synth-pop to loads of post-punk and Indie pop as well, and it's all rolled together into one big record that comes with this vast undertone and beautiful atmosphere that you get caught up in as soon as everything starts.

The Fumes album comes in with a wild synth tone with its first and title track, which opens up into a colorful but edgy overall tonality that becomes quickly danceable and showcases this outstanding energy that just lets you feed into it.

This does give you some glimpses into what you can expect more of out of this record but there are a lot of surprises around its corners as well so I would definitely listen to this record in full because not only do you get those surprises and different approaches, genre and subgenre crossing and bending, but you also get loads of character and I think that's one of the things you end up attaching yourself to right from the start.

The second track on the record is my favorite, called "Pet Sematary". This one has a super addictive keyboard hook that brings to mind this vintage '80s pop aesthetic and drives that home but also brings in those post-punk feels as well by drenching guitars and vocals with Reverb.

These tracks have stories behind them, and have strange ways of connecting with each other, almost like this was a concept record.

I love this aspect because this is yet another reason to listen to the record in full.

Skipping around is not something you really want to do with this album. Listening to each individual song is fine, but don't just listen to one or two tracks. You will not get the full spectrum of what the album has to offer by doing that.

This record is meant as an album. It is an experience and a great one at that. If you listen to this record with headphones on, you can pick up on all these layers of textures that come through and build that lush atmosphere.

This is what a record like this is meant for. It's meant for you to escape into it.

As the record unfolds, you get these beautiful and different sorts of approaches. You have dream-pop, you have a little alternative pop, again, plenty of that classic '90s post-punk tonality as well, which just seems to always be sort of evident.

Either way, you have this slew of great pop influences that come into play, and the way that they put it together is by choosing these brilliant synth and key tones that really help establish an aesthetic for this record that beckons nostalgic and vintage soundscapes.

This is why I feel like the record was very well thought out. All the way down to the synth tones. There was a lot of attention to detail when it came down to creating the record, but it never loses the personality, stories, or character that it starts off with in the first place, and this may be the most important aspect of the entire thing.

You do have these different mixes throughout the record as well. Another amazing pop track is called "Sunglasses - Violet Ghost Remix", and this track also showcases some of that classic pop attribute, but again, with a great edginess and expansive underbelly.

Upon further investigation and digging, I found the original version of the track on a record released last year called Your Steps. 

So, some of these tracks are remixes of previously released singles coming from prior albums.

When you listen to the Fumes album as a whole, you get some new bangers but also a collection of previously dropped tracks being reimagined and I find that fascinating because it just goes to show you the amount of output a band like this actually has.

Listening to this record and their previous stuff simply shows me that this is a group with a real love for their craft. Creating and writing songs together that have a sort of nostalgic impact and draw influence from the bands that made them want to be a part of music themselves.

These songs are like love letters to those bands. I love that feeling, and you can literally pick up on that throughout the whole record.

The production is brilliant all across the board, and everything is put together in a way that tells stories almost like a film. These tracks can actually be very cinematic, to be honest.

I definitely love that aspect about them as well.

This was a beautiful set of tracks that really held to a certain theme and brought together those great influences to create an atmosphere and aesthetic that wraps itself around you and keeps you right where it wants to.

There's a slew of pop embedded throughout this record, and each track delivers something a little different, so it's well worth popping on those headphones and listening to the album from start to finish.

This is an escape and has the ability to pull you away from wherever you are and whatever you're doing and put you in a different space for a chunk of time.

With the release of such a well-woven album, we wanted to talk with Vempire to find out more about the record and where it came from, and what may be coming up next for the project. 

Here's what happened.

Buzz Slayers: Let's talk about the Fumes record This was such a great album that hit strong post-punk vibes but also plenty more with pop undertone! Where did this record come from?

Mike: Aww thank you for the kind words! The entire release was kind of a surprise for both of us, as the title track "Fumes" was originally recorded for our first album Your Steps, which was released last Summer. Growing up, the moment in my life that records really started to shape me coincided with the birth of Napster and "binge listening" entire catalogues at a time. I started to notice early on that a lot of my favorite punk or indie bands had a pattern of nestling their very best b-sides on little extended plays and maxi-singles with strange cover songs and other extra stuff, and these little bonus records were perhaps the absolute top tier of the band's discographies. We had already made up our minds in recording a cover of the Ramones' "Pet Sematary" around Halloween, so in a way we were able to reserve one of our favorite songs from our earlier session and continue this theory about EPs, or at least we hope listeners think so.

Buzz Slayers: I'm hearing a few different approaches on this record! Who are some of your biggest musical influences?

Mike: We're both all over the place. I grew up with Dead Kennedys and Depeche Mode, Lindsey grew up at the highest tide of emo and pop punk. Before any songs were written and we were initially trading ideas over the Vempire concept, we made two humongous Spotify playlists worth of inspo. The Human League, Chromatics, Boy Harsher, and Soft Kill are a few band names that graced both of our respected play queues.

Buzz Slayers: Are you guys performing live right now? Any touring in support of this release?

Lindsey: This is the craziest year of my life in terms of work/other musical endeavors/big personal milestones, so we’re performing sparingly enough that we can ensure we’re giving every show our all.

Buzz Slayers: Did you guys record this in a home studio setup, or did you go to a big studio for this?

Lindsey: DIY till we die babyyyy! We have completely cracked the code for recording efficiency in a way that works so well for us. It includes 5 (?) computer monitors in Mikey’s basement, his daughter’s purple headphones, sugar cookie coffee creamer, some gossip, and not being afraid to sound dumb. Then we pass everything off to Jeremy Wurst at B-24 Studios in Kansas City, Missouri and he works his magic.

Mike: Lindsey pretty much nailed it, but I have to give some props to our Shure SM-7 mic for making the job easier for our sessions, and stress further that Jeremy at B-24 is just an incredible audio engineer. He's cheap as hell too. A band's best recording is only as good as the talented engineer that mixed and mastered it.

Buzz Slayers: Now that this is out, what's next for the band?

Mike: We're already writing some new stuff, remixing some old, and collaborating with the wonderful, generous, and so-inclusive artists in this genre. Never in my years in a touring punk band was I surrounded with more people that are truly out to help out one-another. I've gotta give a shout to Toilet Rats, Permadeaf, Candid Black, the Violet Ghost, North Innsbruck, Bug Heaven, Synth Lovers Cafe, and countless others for asking us to sing guest vocals on their tunes, or sending us just incredible remixes of our songs that give them a whole new life on future releases. Lindsey is also getting married later this year? Lindsey... is there anything else?

Lindsey: World domination, then a nap. Idk, we’re literally just here to have fun, we will go wherever the wind takes us next.

Buzz Slayers: Are you planning any music videos in the near future?

Lindsey: Always! Some DIY ones when inspiration strikes, and hopefully some more collaborative ones with some very talented artists.

Mike: We actually put together an entire original recording and music video of Devo's "Jerkin' Back 'N Forth" for this rad drag a/v event in Lincoln, Nebraska where we live. It was well received, and I believe that video will be making its way to our YouTube channel sometime this summer.

Buzz Slayers: Who's in all your headphones right now?

Lindsey: Nightosphere’s cover of The Killing Moon 24/7. And the Twilight soundtrack.

Mike: I've been listening to our buddies in Permadeaf with the "Emergence" LP and Toilet Rats "Synth Redux Volume 1," pretty much any chance I'm not having to listen to the Disney's ZOMBIES movie soundtracks with my eight-year-old daughter, though it has only brought my Spotify algorithm more "on brand." lol

Buzz Slayers: Was writing and recording this track a big undertaking? How long did it take to finish this?

Lindsey: It felt very effortless. We weren’t on any strict time constraints, we weren’t pushing ourselves to make things just to fill space, it seemed like just an accumulation of slow and steady work.

Buzz Slayers: What would you tell people they can expect on this release?

Mike: We put out a limited compact disc pressing it for RSD with special art and a bonus track, you can order it from our socials.

Lindsey: They can expect to cry while dancing and dance while crying.

Buzz Slayers: Before we go, what would you like to express to fans of the music?

Lindsey: Thanks guys!

Mike: Yes, thank you! Please keep listening and hit us up if you want to collaborate or chat about music! 

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