Following up on their critically acclaimed 2014 debut album “Departure,” the NYC/Burlington duo Vacant Lots have released sophomore LP “Endless Night.” Building off of a previously established psych-drone base, Jared Artaud and Brian MacFadyen introduce new sonic elements to their sound. Uncharacteristically, “Night Nurse” (streaming below) adds mechanized electronics and robotic vocals to twangy guitar lines, suggesting a digitized outlaw world portrayed in sci-fi dramas like HBO’s Westworld; the Krafter-esque experiment works. “Pleasure & Pain” mimic Rolling Stones-style chords and sprinkle otherworldly keyboard elements around an attenuated vocal delivery, while “Elevation” delves further into electro-dance patterns that skirt the appeal of a band like Depeche Mode. Reaching the albums longest track at over five and a half minutes, “Empty Space” serves up a trance groove paired with spoken-word vocals. Eight new tracks in all, the inclusion of nyc underground legend Alan Vega of Suicide’s posthumous scream-of-conscious poetic howl on closer “Suicide Note” delivers the desired validation. The album can be heard in its entirety here on Spotify. – Dave Cromwell
We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!