Newly Formed Post Punk Band Vicegrip Release Debut EP / Provide Track by Track Breakdown

Newly formed post-punk duo Vicegrip have released their debut EP ‘Uncertain Joy’. The EP is streaming below and the band also were kind enough to provide a track-by-track breakdown.

“We (Mark and Gian) started the Vicegrip band in May 2022. It started when we bought our scooters and fell in love with the British mod concept. We decided to make new music outside of what we’ve usually played (post-rock), mostly influenced by post-punk, shoegaze, and dream pop. Uncertain Joy is a mix of our musical influence, uplifting and sincere riffs, heartfelt lyrics based on our experiences during the pandemic, and the vibe that you need when you are on the road. The sole foundation of “Vicegrip” is to have less stress in life, to relax, and to enjoy because life can be quite heavy at times. Bands that influenced us are Molchat Doma, Motorama, Turnover, Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, Day Wave, The Cure, and Deafheaven.

Ride
Ride was intended to be our short intro but became one of our tracks for the EP. The story of the song Ride is that we both challenged ourselves to make a post-rock song that was bass guitar-driven. At that time, we listened to a lot of Jonsi’s personal projects. This is us stepping outside our comfort zone with a song devoid of deep, wet reverb guitars. Ride is our way of saying hi to our post-rock roots and moving on to our next adventure in music.

Sharp Lips Kiss
Sharp Lips Kiss is our first dive into the postpunk, new wave, and shoegaze realms. The riffs are trying to capture the feeling of wind hitting your face. Because we ride our scooters frequently, we carry the British Mods color. The words for this track are about how our mind copes with everyday life by reliving moments in dreams; they also convey the message that being sad is not always bad.

Telephone Wire
Telephone Wire is one of the more special songs we made. We both are still grieving for a dearly departed person, especially Mark. The songs discuss feeling lost and finding solace in the fact that people on the other side can still see and hear you, letting them know how much we miss them. The end part of the song is a message that we must not take our loved ones for granted by simply talking to them because we never know when one’s life ends.

Uncertainty
Uncertainty is about self-doubt in your everyday life. I’m looking for some sort of direction. I always have this assumption that after your 20s, you’ll have a clear direction for where your life is headed. I’m 30 years old, and I guess I’m still lost in the dots. – Gian

We Know
We know this is the very first track that we have composed. the unpleasant sensation of missing someone and then receiving a rude awakening to discover that you are alone at that time. The fear of being alone.”