Currently in the throes of releasing a single a month for the next twelve months, London post-punk band Death Of Death have recently released 'Heart Of Glass', another fine piece of gothic melodicism couched in menacing vocals, touches of electronica and strident guitars. Frontman Vincent Dusk took some time out to answer a few questions on the band, the singles and his experiences in previous outfit boyfromthecrowd.
Death Of Death are :- Vincent Dusk (Guitars, Vocals and Synths), Ben Jasper (Bass) and Baz Combes (Drums).
Singles 'Say What You Mean' (2020), 'Wounds', 'Don't You Know', 'Fire In The Sky' (all 2021), 'Sally' and 'Heart Of Glass' (both 2022) are available on all the major digital sites.
Hello Vincent, thank you for taking some time to answer a few questions. First off, for those readers who might not be familiar with Death Of Death, could you give a short history of the band?
Essentially it started in the first UK lockdown. My previous band, boyfromthecrowd was put on some kind of hiatus and I just wanted to focus on writing and recording, as a lot of songwriters who found themselves locked indoors for weeks did. So, Death of Death came to light during those dark days and is now my sole musical activity. And who would you say were the main influences on Death Of Death? Hard to tell. I don't feel it is particularly similar to a well known band, but if you ask me for my influences, I would say The cure, Nick Cave, My Bloody Valentine, Joy Division, Smashing Pumpkins, Pixies, PJ Harvey. The Doors, Jimi Hendrix and tons more.
Death Of Death rose up out of the ashes of your previous band Boyfromthecrowd; how does Death Of Death differ from your previous band?
Radically. Boyfromthecrowd was a 3 piece heavy / punk blues type band. Essentially we were keeping it raw, and while it was quite melodic too, it was essentially a very dirty and heavy version of the blues. Death of Death is a recording project, with a big focus on production and a strong electronic element, mixed with guitars. I would say it is a lot more "modern sounding", while still having a post punk feel.
Death Of Death are releasing twelve singles, one a month, over the course of 2022. Do you have a sense of how the four or five singles you have released so far have done out in the big wide world?
Yeah, I think it's been good. Of course it depends by which metric you want to assess that, but overall, I have been pleased with how fans have embraced the songs and sent me messages on IG etc. Tons of Spotify playlists have my songs on them and all in all, that's pretty cool.
What was the thinking behind releasing a single a month over the course of 2022? Just how slow I am at producing... That's the best I can do! Do you have a favourite song out of the singles you've released so far and if so why? Not really, though I think overall "Wounds" has been the most popular, and I think it's a very cool song, so yeah, I'll go with that.
Photo - Andrew Cotterill
Are there any of the forthcoming singles that you're particular looking forward to getting out there? Yeah, a song called "My Body". It is very personal, complex in the composition and the arrangements but it worked out incredibly well. I think it is the best song I ever written. There's a video for each of the singles - do you enjoy making them or do you see videos as a bit of a 'necessary' thing to do these days? Not really (laughs). Let's just say "I get them done" but that's pretty much it. The new single's video ('Heart Of Glass') is actually pretty cool I think, so I can watch it without cringing. Do you have any shows in the pipeline that people can catch you at? No. More than anything else, I have no desire to go and rehearse at this time. I'm really focused on songwriting and studio work. Should the band gather a large following online, sure, I'd be delighted to go back out and tour. But for now, I'm really happy in my studio making music. So, I want to keep that focus and keep going. What have been the highlights for you in Boyfromthecrowd and now Death Of Death? Too many to mention, but we toured a lot with Boyfromthecrowd and had some cool trips in Europe. It was fun, met a lot of people and we all have great stories and memories to share. With Death of Death, it is more the kick I get when people contact me and say how much they love the songs. I've had fans in Mexico and Brazil, for example, places I've never been yet, sending DMs about how much they love the songs. That's super special and I love that. One guy told me he listened to "Wounds" every morning on his way to work. A hairdresser in Amsterdam was telling me how it was on her salon's playlist. She played the songs tons of times. I am amazed when I hear stuff like that as I somehow never quite expect it. Do you feel there is a good goth, post-punk and indie scene at present; any bands that you'd particularly recommend to readers? I have no idea. Really, since gigs started again, I've been to see a lot of friend's bands, but not spent much time exploring the current London scene at large. I guess I need to go out more. And finally, apart from the singles, what plans do you have for Death Of Death for the rest of 2022 and going forward? It's kind of weird but for the first time in years, I have no big "masterplan". Previously, we used to have meetings with our manager and plan a lot of stuff for the months ahead. There was quite a programmed schedule and things to do at specific times. Now, I'm just making music and not bothering too much about "what next". Having said that, if anyone has a suggestion about what I should do next, let me know!