Hey all, it’s Bandcamp Friday – that day of the month where Bandcamp waves their cut and all money goes to the artists. In my life it’s known as “the day I make purchases on Bandcamp.” It’s well worth waiting for, even if my fingers itch to hit purchase as soon as a new track comes out!
This article was originally scheduled to come out in December 2023 as its initial contents included October releases from Ringfinger, Urban Heat, and Vision Video – three bands I had the pleasure of seeing in Vancouver back in August, and two of whom I’ll be seeing at Verboden Festival this coming May. December didn’t happen! So I was going to publish it in January… there’s no Bandcamp Friday in January… and so here we are in February, with both Vision Video and Urban Heat having released new music last month!
All to say: this is no longer the article it initially was, and that’s okay! Will you be picking anything up this month? Let me know!
Ringfinger – In A Black Flame (LP)
The first LP from Vancouver-based darkwave duo, Ringfinger, In A Black Flame is a beautiful collection of moody, atmospheric music offering the perfect soundtrack to your gloomy, quiet days. In A Black Flame released in October, and the reception has been “lovely so far […] it’s been super interesting to see which songs people connect with,” shared Mason via email. Hannah, for whom In A Black Flame is the first full length record they’ve worked on, added, “it feels great! […] It’s so cool hearing myself on vinyl and I’m super happy about all the positive feedback we’ve had […].”
One of the elements I enjoy about the LP are the instrumental tracks. There’s three in total and choosing a favourite is difficult but, ultimately, mine is “Muscari Neglectum,” (which leads into “An Apparition,” video above). That the name comes from a hyacinth is a bonus – I do love my botanicals, even if I’m not particularly skilled at keeping them alive. As it turns out there’s also a story behind the track’s name!
The band was practicing at Mason’s old house (where most of the record was recorded) which was overgrown with grape hyacinths. “Han had pointed out that you can steep them in hot water and add the infusion to lemonade to cause [a] chemical reaction that turns the drink bright pink.” One shop stop to acquire lemons, “which I made an absolute mess juicing while Han picked the hyacinths,” later, and the lemonade was made. “It was a really nice moment during the making of the record.”
I’m a sucker for story, as we all know, and that the name for this incredibly gloomy track came from such a sweet moment feels right, you know? I don’t think it’s possible to make dark, romantic, sorrowful art without having that appreciation for the small moments that make up most of our existence, especially the ones that bring light to our lives.
Speaking of gloomy and beautiful things, “Upon Acres” (a reimagination of Kristi Hawkes’ song), is just stunning. The repetition of “upon acres and acres and acres” and the change in beat accompanying that really works for me. It’s hard not to envision yourself looking out over a foggy field on a dim morning, drawing your mug just a little closer to your chest. A little warm hug in an otherwise dreary and chill-in-your-bones landscape.
Which brings me to my favourite track: “Until We Fade Away (Decay).” It’s a particularly somber offering which evokes a crumbling manor house on a hill overlooking the sea. There’s a tragic love story involved. The final notes are the camera pulling back down whatever road led us to the house, leaving it just as we found it at the beginning: alone and falling into further disrepair. (The house is, of course, the central character.) I get a lot out of this one -it’s the kind of music I like to write to. All this makes it even cooler that the band sent along the handwritten lyric sheet used during recording! It lives above my desk, and brings me a smile daily.
My final question to Ringfinger was about what they’ve learned about themselves and/or their artistic process coming out of the LP, and if there’s anything specific they want to do more of. “It feels like we’ve really come into our own as a band during the creation of this LP,” Mason answered, “we’re most excited to really explore and expand upon our identity.” They continued, saying, “Han joined the band during the early stages of the recording process, so her presence has added a lot and helped to shape things into what they are now, so that’s an exciting avenue to explore further. We have some plans to tour in the coming year, so we’ll see what more live shows bring and what inspiration we can draw from those experiences!”
Ringfinger will be playing at Verboden Festival, taking place in Vancouver from May 9-12th. As luck would have it they’ll be playing the same day as Urban Heat and Creux Lies, giving us almost a complete return to the lineup of last August’s Vancouver show at Green Auto Body! You can find their merch through Bandcamp, and follow them on social media here.
Vision Video – Never Enough (Single)
Out of Athens, Georgia, goth-pop band Vision Video brings us more dance music for the end times in the form of “Never Enough,” the second single off their upcoming album, Modern Horror. It’s sad! Fun-sad? It feels sad while being uplifted by brighter tones. That it’s immensely danceable is undeniable – I’ve been doing the classic ‘shimmy while doing the dishes’ for weeks!
It has also been very entertaining to see how people use the song in reels when talking about “how many books are enough,” or “how much fog in the goth club is too much” – there’s never enough! I would be delighted to see someone do this with TTRPGs – I know there’s at least a handful of you who make reels, have substantial TTRPG collections, and a love of goth music. I want to see this badly! Tag me, please.
Through Instagram the band has said “Never Enough,” is, in part, about “losing yourself to malignant forces in life.” On a larger level my own thoughts kept turning towards capitalism, that system our society operates under that takes and takes and takes – it doesn’t matter how much we give, or how many sacrifices are made, it’ll never be enough. We will be bled dry and discarded. We’re serving a wider, larger system that does not give a single care about us individually or collectively outside of our capacity as vehicles for profit.
Which is probably the bleakest thing I’ve ever written for the Cauldron! So what then, do we do? Resist. Be reminded of the importance of community care and mutual aid. We have nothing without each other and be it through your online, local, or global communities, caring for one another remains one of the most powerful things we can do. It’s never too late to start learning, and get more involved.
The juxtaposition of the levity of the content featuring the song in reels and the subject matter the song tackles strikes me as … really indicative of what being a Vision Video fan is like. Yes, the music deals with often heavy and dark subject matter. Yes, it is doing so while being perfect for the goth club. And yes, it is going to feature in fun, light-hearted videos broaching all sorts of hobbies and interests. There’s light in the dark. It’s a party for the end times everyone’s invited to, and Vision Video are the headlining act.
Speaking of the end times! If you haven’t already, go check out the video for “In My Side (Modern Horror Version),” it immediately made me want a film-length version. There’s so much story unfolding and the video is wonderfully shot and edited. The choreography from Lou Lou la Duchesse de Rière, and her performance as the witch is everything you could want it to be. The video’s got it all: witches, demons, gore, and big stompy boots. It’s campy and fun and a gift to horror lovers everywhere!
Vision Video have announced their 2024 North America tour dates and you can find those on their website here. Very much looking forward to seeing them again at the end of April! Want to stay in touch? Give them a follow on TikTok and/or Instagram, and be sure to check out their merch (can confirm the coffee is delicious , and the eyeshadow palette is now the only one I use).
Urban Heat – Sanitizer (Single)
Austin, TX based synthpop, darkwave, post-punk band Urban Heat is a familiar name to readers of The Cozy Cauldron! I’ve written about them enough times that if you ask me any sort of general question, I can answer it in probably more detail than you signed up for. They released “Sanitizer,” the second single of their forthcoming album The Tower, last week along with a flashy – literally, there’s a strobe warning – music video to accompany it.
By the end of my first listen I was singing along to the full chorus. I’ve said before and will say again: their music is made for performing and this comes across so strongly in this track. Which makes perfect sense. “I write for performance,” frontman Jonathan Horstmann shared when we spoke in December, “the show is not an afterthought. […] I’m a performer and a musician, not a musician who happens to be a performer.” Have you ever seen their live show? If you haven’t, keep an eye out for when they’re playing near you, just trust me on this. If you have, then you know how effortlessly captivating that performance is!
This song’s energy has me up and strutting across the living room with all the dramatic flair I can muster (admittedly not much), performing to my (mostly sleeping) audience of three cats. It’s fun, the experience of the song is fun. Some music demands you meet it in its energy and “Sanitizer,” in the best way possible, is one of them.
In terms of sound, we’re really hitting the “stylings of the 80s with flourishes of the now.” This feels like it could be coming from the future, while also having elements of familiarity from 80s synth music, and it’s great. When I spoke with Horstmann back in October for the “Like This” release he shared that “Like This” was “like the bridge between our last collection of songs and this full record, [… it] gives off a little more of a familiar Urban Heat vibe.” If “Sanitizer” is anything to go off of, the places Urban Heat are going with The Tower are as new as they are exciting.
(For those of you keeping track at home, we now know the names of six tracks off The Tower: “Like This,” “Sanitizer,” “Seven Safe Places,” “Right Time of Night,” “Say the Words,” and “Blindfolds and Magic Bullets.” Aside to the aside: I’m very excited for this round of “pass the parcel” to conclude and for my Right Time of Night long-sleeve to arrive.)
And just, what a line, “the world is gonna kill you but you’re never going to quit.” Through social media the band has said the song relates to when you put your heart in someone’s hands, hoping “they’ll treat it with a surgeon’s care […] but unfortunately it’s just three toddlers in a trenchcoat playing doctor.” Which, everything else aside, is just a really funny image. And somewhere we’ve all been! The music video, directed by Horstman, is an immense amount of fun: we’ve got blood, a pumping heart, and a very cool dance routine that I kind of want to learn? It’s great. I love when you see a video and can go “oh you know everyone had a blast putting this together.”
Directly related: if you haven’t already, go check out “Like This,” which released last October. The video is phenomenally sleek. If you don’t have time to read a whole article about the song, I hear you! Lyrically it speaks to me as being about struggles with depression, identity, and substances. I’m not even a little over how cool the drop is, and the whisper-singing section really gets in my head. It’s a great song to jump around to: high-energy with lyrics to make you pause and think for a moment as so much of their work does.
Urban Heat are currently on tour with Twin Tribes and you can find their tour dates here! To keep up with the band, give them a follow on Instagram and/or TikTok. Thinking of going to a show the first week of April? Drop by and say hey at the merch table, I’d love to chat! And, speaking of merch, you can explore their store here. I’m keen on – and this is surprising as I don’t generally care for floral scents, especially lily – both their fragrance oils. The Urban Heat one is my favourite as I’m a sucker for sandalwood; it’s a nice one to switch out to when I don’t feel like using my usual solid perfume.
That’s all for this week! Until next time, stay cozy, and if you want to join your companions around the cauldron, signup for email updates below!
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