With the release of 2020’s Interzone through London-based psych label Fuzz Club, the Brooklyn-based psych duo The Vacant Lots — Jared Artaud (vocals, guitar, synths) and Brian McFayden (drums, synths, vocals) — crafted an album’s worth of material that saw the duo blending dance music and psych rock while maintaining the minimalist approach that has won the band acclaim across the international psych scene.
The duo’s highly-anticipated fourth album Closure is slated for a September 30, 2022 release through Fuzz Club. Written during pandemic-related lockdowns, the eight-song Closure clocks in at 23 minutes and continues the Brooklyn-based duo’s established “minimal is maximal” ethos — all while being a soundtrack for a shattered, fucked up world.
“During the pandemic the two of us were totally isolated in our home studios,” The Vacant Lots’ Jared Artaud says. “I don’t think the pandemic directly influenced the songs in an obvious way, but merely amplified existing feelings of alienation and isolation. We found ourselves writing in a more direct and vulnerable way than ever before.”
Closure‘s first single “Chase” was written on a Synsonics drum machine and a Yamaha CS-10 synthesizer. While firmly rooted in their “minimal is maximal” ethos, “Closure” sees the acclaimed Brooklyn-duo pushing their sound in an increasingly club friendly direction thanks to thumping beats and glistening synth arpeggios — while still possessing a lysergic quality. “Closure” may well be perfect for late nights under strobe lights, the song features what may arguably be the most vulnerable and direct lyrics of their growing catalog. It’s as though the song is subtly suggesting to that the listener dance the heartache away for a few minutes.
“‘Chase’ is a song about longing, about the struggle of love across time zones,” The Vacant Lots’ Brian MacFayden explains in press notes. “It’s about the desire to close that gap of separation, but also the anticipation and excitement that builds between each encounter. It’s about a sense of knowing how it should be before it is.” The band’s Jared Artaud adds, “‘Chase’ has this duality that strikes a balance between wanting to dance and taking a pill that plunges you on the couch.”
The Vacant Lots will be opening for The Black Angels during the JOVM mainstays’ Fall North American tour. The tour includes an October 17, 2022 stop at Brooklyn Steel. The duo will then close out the year with a month-long European Union and UK tour. All tour dates are below. And you can click on the following for ticket info: https://www.bandsintown.com/a/958887?app_id=f175fieqh2_e7e8461a30bc29c5dc1b230042088032&direct=true
North American Tour Dates
Sep 30 – Dallas (US) – Granada*
Oct 1 – Lawrence (US – Bottleneck*
Oct 3 – St Louis (US) – Delmar Hall*
Oct 4 – Omaha (US) – Slowdown*
Oct 5 – Minneapolis (US) – First Avenue*
Oct 7 – Madison (US) – Majestic*
Oct 8 – Cleveland (US) – Beachland*
Oct 10 – Detroit (US) – Majestic*
Oct 12 – Toronto (CA) – Phoenix*
Oct 13 – Montreal (CS) – Corona*
Oct 14 – Boston (US) – Paradise*
Oct 15 – DC (US) – 9:30 Club*
Oct 17 – Brooklyn (US) – Brooklyn Steel*
Oct 18 – Philadelphia (US) – Union Transfer*
Oct 19 – Chapel Hill (US) – Cat’s Cradle*
Oct 21 – Atlanta (US) – Variety*
Oct 22 – Nashville (US) – Brooklyn Bowl*
Oct 23 – Birmingham (US) – Saturn*
Oct 24 – Baton Rouge (US) – Chelsea’s Live*
* – with The Black Angels
European Union/UK Tour Dates
Nov 11 Dijon (FR) – Consortium Museum
Nov 12 – Paris (FR) – L’International
Nov 13 – Le Havre (FR) – Mc Daid’s
Nov 16 – Maastricht (NL) – Muziekgieterij
Nov 18 – Dordrecht (NL) – Popcentrale x Bibelot
Nov 19 – Berlin (DE) – Synästhesie Festival
Nov 22 – Halle (DE) – Hühnermanhattan
Nov 24 – Copenhagen (DK) – Loppen
Nov 26 – Stockholm (SE) – Debaser Bar Brooklyn
Nov 30 – Haarlem (NL) – Patronaat
Dec 1 – Hastings (UK) – The Piper
Dec 2 – London (UK) – Strongroom
Dec 3 – Manchester (UK) – SOUP
Dec 4 – Glasgow (UK) – The Flying Duck
Dec 5 – Nottingham (UK) – The Chameleon
Dec 6 – Bristol (UK) – The Crofters Rights
Ticket link: thevacantlots.lnk.to/tickets
