There are certain relationships that run their course, but at least grant those involved with an opportunity for growth and/or a well of meaningful experiences that they’ll likely never forget. And then there’s the other kind of relationship. Such is the subject of Brooklyn neo-psych duo The Vacant Lots’ latest single from their forthcoming LP Closure, wherein Jared Artaud and Brian MacFadyen’s recent synth-punk turn soundtracks lyrics about all the time wasted in an ill-fated partnership. “When it’s over it’s a lot easier to look back and see things for what it is,” Artaud notes. “To look back and see the duality of love and hate in a relationship. Sometimes it’s a lot more devastating losing the time you had than the person you thought you loved. Nothing is worse than wasting your time.”
Meanwhile, the instrumental seems to pull heavily from Artaud’s involvement in Liz Lamere’s recent purging of Alan Vega’s unreleased recordings, with the pulsing electro-punk existing comfortably within the realm of Suicide’s discography. “‘Thank You’ was built in the framework of simplicity,” adds MacFadyen of the track’s technical aspects. “It has a relentless pace driven by an angular arpeggiated bassline and drum machine pattern. A Juno-6 was used for chords throughout, a Korg M500 for the leads, and the track is brought to another level with guitars layered on top. The process of crafting this song was done entirely remotely due to the pandemic, and the layers over time became more and more refined until we were satisfied with each sound source.”
Check out the strobing black-and-white video for the track below, and pre-order Closure here.
