The Vacant Lots are an American post-punk electro band based in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

History

The Vacant Lots are a two-piece

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

electro band formed by

Jared Artaud Jared Artaud is an American musician and producer. He is primarily known for his work with the electro psych duo The Vacant Lots. He is also an established poet who lives in New York City. Biography Jared Artaud is an American musician and ...

and Brian MacFadyen in

Burlington, Vermont Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...

. The group is now based out of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Their sound has been described as minimalist, rock and roll, psych and punk. The band's "minimal means maximum effect" aesthetic is something they have developed since the band's formation by continuing as a two-piece. The group has cited Native American drumming, Indian tanpura, early rock n roll, The Gun Club, and

Television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

as major influences on their sound. In 2010, the duo were invited by Sonic Boom of legendary UK psych band Spacemen 3 and EAR to tour the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

for the first time with his band Spectrum. In 2011, The Vacant Lots signed to Mexican Summer and released their first official single "Confusion" b/w "Cadillac." Later that year, The Black Angels and

The Reverberation Appreciation Society The Reverberation Appreciation Society is the creator, curator, and producer of annual psychedelic music festivals Levitation (festival), Levitation Austin, Levitation France, Levitation Chicago, and Levitation Vancouver. The Reverberation Apprec ...

invited The Vacant Lots to perform at

Austin Psych Fest Levitation (formerly Austin Psych Fest) is an annual 3-day music festival developed and produced by The Reverberation Appreciation Society. Since its sixth year in 2013 it has been held at Carson Creek Ranch in Austin, Texas. Inspired by the creat ...

4. In the summer of 2011, The Vacant Lots supported

Dean Wareham Dean Wareham (born 1 August 1963) is an American musician and actor who formed the band Galaxie 500 in 1987. He left Galaxie 500 in April 1991 and founded the band Luna. Since Luna's breakup in 2005, Wareham has released albums with fellow Lun ...

(

Galaxie 500 Galaxie 500 was an American alternative rock band that formed in 1987 and split up in 1991 after releasing three albums: ''Today'', '' On Fire'' and '' This Is Our Music''. The band was made up of guitarist/vocalist Dean Wareham, drummer Damon K ...

, Luna,

Dean & Britta Dean & Britta is a musical duo consisting of Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips, both former members of Luna. Wareham had formed Luna in 1991 after leaving his first band, Galaxie 500. Phillips joined Luna in 2000, replacing bassist Justin Harwood ...

) for one of the last performances of Dean Wareham Plays Galaxie 500 Songs at The Bell House in

. In 2012, they were invited back to play

5 and the band signed to

's record label,

, for their second official 7" single release, "High And Low" b/w "Let Me Out." In January 2013, The Vacant Lots toured the U.S. with The Growlers. In February, the duo's third single "6 AM" was released on Sonic Cathedral Records (UK), as part of a 6 band contemporary psych-rock compilation called ''Psych For Sore Eyes'', mastered by Sonic Boom. In October 2013, The Vacant Lots' cover version of "No More Christmas Blues" by

Alan Vega Boruch Alan Bermowitz (June 23, 1938 – July 16, 2016), known professionally as Alan Vega, was an American vocalist and visual artist, primarily known for his work with the electronic protopunk duo Suicide. Life and career Boruch Alan Berm ...

Suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

was released on

Cleopatra Records Cleopatra Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1992 by Brian Perera. The record label has since grown into a family of labels, including Hypnotic Records, Purple Pyramid Records, Dea ...

as part of a compilation album called ''Psych-Out Christmas'' that featured

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of ...

, Psychic Ills,

Dead Meadow Dead Meadow is an American psychedelic rock band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1998 and currently composed of vocalist and guitarist Jason Simon, bassist Steve Kille, and drummer Mark Laughlin. The band have released seven studio albums, two liv ...

, The Fuzztones and more. In February 2014,

released a book of poetry called ''Empty Space'' that was published by Dactyl Poetry. The Vacant Lots have also announced that they have completed their debut album, which will be released in the summer of 2014. In April 2014, the two-piece supported indie-rock icon and label-mate

on a tour of the U.S. The Vacant Lots announced their debut album 'Departure' would be released on UK independent record label Sonic Cathedral on July 1, 2014. 'Departure' was produced by The Vacant Lots, mixed and mastered by Sonic Boom and features

on guitar.

BrooklynVegan ''BrooklynVegan'' is an American online music magazine founded in 2004 by David Levine. The company is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, United States and originally focused on vegan food and the music community in and around New York City, ...

premiered the first single and music video for "Mad Mary Jones" from the debut album. On May 21, 2014, The Vacant Lots and

of influential New York punk band

released a split 10" vinyl on Fuzz Club Records. The release debuts a new track by Alan Vega entitled "Nike Soldier" and an alternate mix of "Mad Mary Jones" by The Vacant Lots. In the same week,

Interview Magazine ''Interview'' is an American magazine founded in late 1969 by artist Andy Warhol and British journalist John Wilcock. The magazine, nicknamed "The Crystal Ball of Pop", features interviews with celebrities, artists, musicians, and creative thinke ...

premiered the music video for "Before The Evening's Thru", which is the second released track from the band's upcoming debut album 'Departure'. In June and July 2014, The Vacant Lots toured the UK for the first time with legendary neo-psych band The Brian Jonestown Massacre. On July 1, The Vacant Lots released their debut album 'Departure' on London independent label Sonic Cathedral. In September, Spanish independent label Ayo Silver! released a limited edition 10" vinyl entitled 'Arrival' compiling the band's singles and remixes. 'Arrival' was also included as a bonus disc in the first initial copies of the group's debut album and features artwork by LA Pop-Surrealist artist

Anthony Ausgang Anthony Ausgang (born Anthony Charles Grant Thompson, May 22, 1959) is an artist and writer born in Pointe-à-Pierre, Trinidad and Tobago in 1959 who lives and works in Los Angeles.''Vacation from Reality: The Art of Anthony Ausgang'' () Ausgang ...

. Additionally, in September the band toured Europe and the UK as well as a performance at Liverpool Psych Fest. On September 22, Sonic Cathedral released the duo's third single "Paint This City" backed with "Departure." The Quietus premiered the music video for the single, which was directed by Boston filmmaker Samuel Quinn. The Vacant Lots supported 1970s electro-punk legends

Webster Hall Webster Hall is a nightclub and concert venue located at 125 East 11th Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues, near Astor Place, in the East Village of Manhattan, New York City. It is one of New York City's most historically significant ...

in New York City on March 7, 2015. On March 16, 2015, Sonic Cathedral released a vinyl only single by The Vacant Lots that featured two remixes by

and Anton Newcombe of The Brian Jonestown Massacre. The Vacant Lots performed at acclaimed independent UK music festival

Secret Garden Party The Secret Garden Party, often colloquially shortened to the SGP, is an independent arts and music festival which takes place in Abbots Ripton near Huntingdon in England. This location is on part of the grounds of a Georgian farmhouse and has its ...

with

Temples A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

and Toy on July 25, 2015. During their 2015 European tour, The Vacant Lots recorded a collaborative EP entitled 'Berlin' with Anton Newcombe of The Brian Jonestown Massacre in Berlin, Germany that was released on Anton Newcombe's record label A Recordings on November 25, 2016. The band's second full-length album, 'Endless Night', was released worldwide on

Metropolis Records Metropolis Records is a record label founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1993 by the late Dave Heckman. The label's all-electronic format closely tracked with European contemporaries, such as Off Beat, and, since 1995, has been instrumenta ...

on April 21, 2017. The last track on the album "Suicide Note" featured vocals by

of the legendary punk band

. It is one of the final collaborations that Alan Vega was part of before he died on July 16, 2016. The Vacant Lots supported influential

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band Black Rebel Motorcycle Club in Europe in 2017. In May, 2019 The Vacant Lots were invited by legendary

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

rock band The Dandy Warhols to tour the

on their 25th anniversary tour. On August 30, 2019, the group released 'Exit' on A Recordings, which is their second EP recorded with Anton Newcombe of The Brian Jonestown Massacre who mixed & produced the album in Berlin. "Bells" the single off the record charted at number 9 on the Official UK Vinyl Singles Chart Top 40. On Friday, April 24, 2020, The Vacant Lots announced their third album 'Interzone' will be released on June 26 on

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

indie record label Fuzz Club. The album is described as "a genre-blending synthesis of dance and psych" The album sleeve and packaging features the consistent visual identity associated with the band; black and white Op artwork by

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

designer, Ivan Liechti. On April 24, "Rescue", the first single off the new album was released and described by

Brooklyn Vegan ''BrooklynVegan'' is an American online music magazine founded in 2004 by David Levine. The company is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, United States and originally focused on vegan food and the music community in and around New York City, ...

as "post-punk inspired...which brings to mind Jesus and Mary Chain and Love & Rockets." "Fracture", the second single off the group's third album "Interzone" was released on May 22, and premiered on Post Punk Magazine, which they described as "explosive psych mixed with the experimental spirit of proto-punk; a fuzzy memory trying desperately to resurface." On Friday, June 26, 2020, The Vacant Lots third album "Interzone" was released on London's record label Fuzz Club. The album features a music video for 'Party's Over' directed by British film-maker and video artist Browzan. On October 16, 2020, Fuzz Club released The Vacant Lots' "Departure" Remix by

Robert Levon Been Robert Levon Been (born August 22, 1977), previously known by the stage name Robert Turner, is an American musician and singer. He is currently a member of the rock band Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and was, for a time, a bass player in a band kno ...

of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club who's been a longtime supporter of the band. On October 30, A Recordings released The Vacant Lots' "Damage Control" which is a double album featuring both Berlin and Exit EP that was recorded and produced by Anton Newcombe of The Brian Jonestown Massacre at his studio in Berlin. In 2021,

co-produced, mixed, and did art direction on the lost

album entitled "Mutator" released o
Sacred Bones Records
The Vacant Lots announced their fourth album entitled "Closure" is to be released on September 30, 2022, on Fuzz Club. The single "Thank You" off the album premiered on Flood Magazine on August 8, 2022. "Thank You" also aired on Punk icon

's Iggy Confidential

BBC6 BBC Radio 6 Music is a British Digital radio in the United Kingdom, digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the B ...

radio show titled "Iggy Confidential with some brand new Vacant Lots" on February 2, 2022. The Vacant Lots released their third single "Consolation Prize" on September 7, 2022, from their upcoming album "Closure". The song and music video premiered on Under The Radar Magazine. "Consolation Prize" first aired on

's Iggy Confidential

radio show titled "Iggy Confidential with some brand new Vacant Lots". On September 30, The Vacant Lots supported psych-rock pioneers The Black Angels in North America culminating in a performance at Levitation (festival) for the official after party for legendary rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain.

Band members

Members

—

Vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

Guitars The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

Bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

Synths A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...

Producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

, Mixing,

Songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

. *Brian MacFadyen —

Electronics The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...

Drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, Mixing,

Discography

Albums

* ''Closure'' (Sept 2022) (Fuzz Club) * ''Interzone'' (June 2020) (Fuzz Club) * ''Endless Night'' (April 2017) (Metropolis) * ''Departure'' (July 2014) (Sonic Cathedral)

EPs

* ''Exit'' (EP 12") (August 2019) (A Recordings) * ''Berlin'' (EP 12") (November 2016) (A Recordings) * ''Alan Vega/The Vacant Lots'' (EP split 10") (May 2014) (Fuzz Club)

Singles

* "Consolation Prize" (Digital) (Sept 2022) (Fuzz Club) * "Thank You" (Digital) (Aug 2022) (Fuzz Club) * "Chase" (Digital) (Aug 2022) (Fuzz Club) * "Departure" (Robert Levon Been Remix) (7", Digital) (October 2020) (Fuzz Club) * "Exit" (Digital) (June 2020) (Fuzz Club) * "Fracture" (Digital) (May 2020) (Fuzz Club) * "Rescue" (Digital) (April 2020) (Fuzz Club) * "Bells" (Digital) (May 2019) (A Recordings) * "Departure" / "Let Me Out" (Sonic Boom Mix) (7") (April 2015) (Bronson Recordings) * "6 AM" (Alan Vega Remix) / "Never Satisfied" (Anton Newcombe Remix) (7") (March 2015) (Sonic Cathedral) * "Paint This City" / "Departure" (Digital) (September 2014) (Sonic Cathedral) * "Before The Evening's Thru" (Digital) (July 2014) (Sonic Cathedral) * "Mad Mary Jones" (Digital) (June 2014) (Sonic Cathedral) * "High and Low" / "Let Me Out" (7") (August 2012) (

) * "Confusion" / "Cadillac" (7") (January 2011) ( Mexican Summer)

Compilations

* ''Damage Control'' (LP) (October 2020) (A Recordings) * "''6 AM''" (LP) ''Liverpool International Festival Of Psychedelia Presents PZYK Vol. 1'' (October 2020) (PZYK Records) * "''Fame''" (LP) ''A Salute To The Thin White Duke - The Songs of

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

'' (October 2016) (

) * "''Julia''" (LP) ''The Magical Mystery Psych-Out: A Tribute To

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

'' (March 2015) (

) * "''She Smiled Sweetly''" (LP) ''Stoned: A Psych Tribute to

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

'' (January 2015) (

) * "''No More Christmas Blues''" (LP) ''Psych-Out Christmas'' (October 2013) (

) * "''6 AM''" (EP) ''Psych For Sore Eyes'' (February 2013) (Sonic Cathedral)

Logo

The Vacant Lots logo is a black spiral with the band name juxtaposed through and then around the outer layer or ring. Like most of the band's album artwork, concert posters and visual aesthetic, the colors black and white are used to create the logo. The design of the band's logo was created by The Vacant Lots.

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vacant Lots, The (band) American indie rock groups Psychedelic rock music groups from New York (state) Musical groups from New York City American post-punk music groups American experimental musicians American performance artists Mexican Summer artists