The New Invincible Track-By-Track Breakdown

1. The New Invincible

The "meat" of this song, both lyrically and melodically, actually originated from a "mock-screamo" band that I had started with a close friend and a few others in the very early 2000s. The band intentionally wrote songs about suicide and murder, as a (quite immature) "fuck you" to the musicians that resided deep in that silly sub-genre. The gag project accidentally got pretty talented, and subsequently disbanded upon realization of this, leaving a handful of ultra-morbid tunes in its wake. The singer of the project took his own life in later years, invoking a path too eerily similar to the joke subject matter to bury so far into my memory, and thus the tune was reworked, substantially, to fit the Vempire dancey/synth vibes. Rest in peace Ben. I'm so sorry, man.

2. Jerkin' Back 'N' Forth

A very talented artist in our hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska, had asked us to work on our own version of this legendary Devo song for a big LGBTQ+ event that was in the works, and we were so proud of the finished project that we decided to add it to the EP. Mixed and guitarred by our friend Ryan Thomas of Omaha group Permadeaf (see more below,) enjoy my, idk, ninth? favorite Devo song, with a Vemp spin.

3. Always Forever By Cults (Permadeaf Mix)

We had been toying around with the idea of writing "the ultimate breakup" song, specifically a breakup with alcohol. The song "Always Forever" by Cults was a big part of the creation, with the bittersweet hopelessness of their hook representing the vision so perfectly. The result was a collective recording, now confusingly titled and mistaken as a cover song, but coinciding (it'll be two years as of the week this is published) with a freedom from substance abuse that literally dictated my 20s and 30s. I still think booze is pretty awesome, I just decided it wasn't going to be a part of my life anymore. I can say pretty significantly, if I can stop, anyone who wishes to can, and I believe in you. Our friend Permadeaf, who has been involved in a lot of our remixes and collaborations, really took the plain, indie, tune to a new level. If you dig the instrumentals, you should really check out more Permadeaf, it is all rad.

4. The New Invincible (House Where Evil Dwells Mix)

More "New Invincible", but much slower and vapory. Changed the melody a bit in post as well, turned out pretty fucking creepy.

5. Blattodea (Revolution, I Love You Mix)

"Blattodea" was a single from our first record, Your Steps. We were trying to encapsulate that internal regret next-morning/hungover "I'm never drinking again" mood with this tune, most notably a dry-mouthed morning I first heard Robert Palmer's "Johnny and Mary," which is just so hopeless and introspective. Revolution, I Love You is a Pittsburgh band that met Lindsey on tour with her other band, Ghostlike, this last Summer. They truly took our song to a place sonically that we always wanted it to be.

6. Mood Swings (U.S. Mix)

"Mood Swings" was a leftover project from our Your Steps session that we were so happy with we held on to it for a rainy release. In fact, it was originally a collaboration with United Kingdom's Synth Lovers Cafe, and that version has yet to be released, so this is our own remix of our own song? We're stoked for the U.K. Mix as well. We wanted to write a song about a woman taking her new partner on the night of their lives, filled with sex, nightlife, and substances. We also kind of stole the Linndrum sequence from an Ace of Base song.

7. The New Invincible (Benjamin Gear X Mix)

Benjamin Gear X is a dark synth producer in Nebraska, where we live, who completely blew the doors off of our little synth tune. Breaking it down to bare bones and building an industrial soundscape on top of it make this one of the must-listen songs on the record. It reminds me of that mid-'90s blend of textured guitars and gothic post-punk that owned every great movie soundtrack of the time.

8. Your Steps (Vapor Mix)

This is a slow-mo remix of the title track from our first full-length, which, abridging the long interlude outro, clocks in at nearly half of the length of the original. Seemed like a nice short song to close the album. "Your Steps" was written about the guilt or intentional distancing of oneself from a friend or partner who is in recovery from substance abuse, but punned to fucking death about dance steps because synthesizers.

9. Electricity (Atari Teenage Toilet Rats Mix)

This tune is about how I was nearly executed by a shorted-out key carving machine in a department store when I was an elementary school student, and the irony in how very specific of a role electricity plays in my life. (e. Software development, vintage video game consoles, musical equipment.) I have clearly won the battle, or perhaps electricity is waiting to finish the job. Regardless, our best friend Tommy Rehbein of Toilet Rats fame sent us this incredible remix, a la Atari Teenage Riot, and the buzzes are so buzzy. He also replaced the sample of "Electric Dreams" from the intro in our mix to a Full House Bob Saget line about Nebraska, since he is the best. Just please listen to Toilet Rats after this.

10. Blattodea (Candid Black Mix)

Our friend Jeff from Canadian hardcore band Total Wolf put together this remix for us as a bit of an overture, complete with extra vocoder parts and a great sample from 1987's "Can't Buy Me Love." As you can tell, we do a lot of remixes and reimaginations with a wide variety of friends from all over the place. This project has extended our sense of musical community in a way that has really altered our outlook in collaborative efforts. Growing up in and out of pop punk bands, there was this mentality of stepping all over one another, even if it was to sell a t-shirt or find a place of carpet to crash on tour. I'm not sure if the positive outpouring is a fluke, or if there are pockets of this rude world that are changing for the better, but we are incredibly fortunate and grateful for these relationships, and also you for reading! Cheers.