The Spaghetti Western whistles of “Let Me In” are the perfect lens for understanding Vincas’ evolving sound. Throughout the decade span of their career, the Athens band has always embraced the darker aspects of existence, usually through a swampy take on garage and deathrock. That all changed with their 2020 album PHANTASMA, which found the band adding to their haunted toolbox with psychedelic post-punk and minimal industrial beats. It was a leap forward for the band both in focus and experimentation.
Though the track still sounds like Vincas, it’s more spacious and melancholy. After all, how better to channel dread and isolation than by tapping into the wide-open wastelands of ‘70s film? “‘Let Me In’ wasn’t originally intended to sound cinematic, but once the creepy whistling part started weaving and slithering around the main guitar part, it really steered the song in that direction,” explains bassist and vocalist Chris McNeal. “Lyrically it was built upon the traditional idea of inviting a soul-sucking thing (vampire) inside your house, or into your life and world (psychic vampire).”
Filmed and edited by Erica Jean Strout, the video finds the band shredding through the gloomy track with a ferocity reminiscent in style, if not substance, of their 2012 masterpiece Blood Bleeds. Video production was tweaked due to COVID, but the band was able to find a space large enough for them to make it work, though not too large to be drenched in fog (they still managed to set off the fire alarm on the last take, causing a crew of firefighters to show up in confusion). To call it a lesson in persistence might be too cliché for a band that has consistently defied expectations, but at the very least it’s a reminder that PHANTASMA still rips and that making art is most important when everything sucks.
Watch/listen above.
Vincas will make their live return on Fri., Aug. 20 at the 40 Watt alongside Vision Video, Jock Gang, and Food Eater. Doors open at 8 p.m. Admission is $12. Under 18 admitted with parent or legal guardian.
More Info
Bandcamp: vincas.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @vincasband
Instagram: @vincasband
SoundCloud: @vincasga
Twitter: @vincasband