Douglas Von Irvin’s Carnival (DVIC) (a Toronto/LA based collective) has released a shimmering and haunting new track – ‘Vampire Lovers’ – a melodic ballad infused with a melancholic delivery and a hint of gothic horror. ‘Vampire Lovers’ has elements that reflect fellow US artists like The National, Grandaddy and Band of Horses: impassioned intelligent lyrics and sparkling guitars driving songs strong on melody.
Singer Douglas Von Irving says the lyrics came about after some personal reflections about how exhausted he had become after being consistently surrounded by people that have to be the center of attention all of the time. These are people who:
actually take energy (leaving) nothing behind. Except-worn out people that run in the other direction to avoid getting energy sucked out of their lives again.
However, this does not evolve into negativity:
The dark loneliness [these people] go through would change if vampires could learn to ‘live and give’ ,I used the lyric ‘learn to live and give’ to build the song’s foundation on a positive note.
The characters in this song are vampires; one of them has decided to make a change, then makes a dramatic plea to his lover to follow him. We can change anything we decide to change about ourselves when we decide it’s time to do it.
The vampires become a perfect analogy for our own lives. It’s a delightfully nuanced and ultimately compassionate lyric that is perfectly matched by the crystalline guitars and steady pace of the track. With a spoken word piece towards the end, DVIC has an air of theatricality and drama that is very enriching and creative.
The track comes of DVIC’s forthcoming EP entitled ‘Meet The Monsters’ due out on 25 May 2021. It is available through all the usual download/streaming sites.
