French electropop duo Death by Selfie make yet another high-octane return to the airwaves with their new single “Vampire – Radio Edit.” It’s a darkly alluring affair akin to a trip into a neon-lit fever dream. It follows in the abstract textures of their debut LP “Techno(o(on)” and their cinematic tribute to David Lynch earlier in the year, but this is an entirely new chapter in the band’s sound and style.
This time, the band emerged from behind the vocoder and into the raw. “Vampire – Radio Edit” is the group’s first number composed and sung in English. It has an entirely more blunt, almost confrontational, lyrical delivery that is enjoyably human. There’s no digital veil to take refuge behind here. The vocals slice clear and sharp yet personal, like speaking straight to or about someone you know too well.
The pair eschews their academic tendencies in favor of a groove-heavy sound that crawls through thunderous basslines, brooding synths, and eerie sequencer pulses. There’s something poisonous in the air, sometimes even something industrial, but it is still imbued with the melodic power of electropop. The beat pounds like a heart as if to warn you of the peril lurking just below the skin. This vampire is the emotional leech in front of you, the manipulator, the faux friend, that shadowy figure sucking your energy dry with a smirk. Death by Selfie refashions this deep-seated cliche as an aural moral tale of betrayal and psychological warfare.
Sound mixing is handled by JP Boffo, whose glossy hand keeps the track cutting-edge yet roomy. Every synth layer has plenty of breath, and every word has plenty of space to hit its mark. Andy Talovikov’s art adds stylized, haunting, and unmistakably on-brand to the picture. “Vampire – Radio Edit” is a testament. It’s Death by Selfie molting, testing itself, and showing it’s not afraid of the dark or the truth, for that matter, as long as there’s a killer hook. This is electropop with bite.
Connect with Death by Selfie on Instagram – @death_by_selfie_musique
Follow Death by Selfie on Spotify
