Drakulas
photo by Jon Weiner

watch Drakulas' video for "Fashion Forward" off upcoming album

A lot of bands like to use Halloween to release stuff, so naturally a band called Drakulas would be one of those bands. Drakulas (whose lineup includes two members of the Riverboat Gamblers and Zach Blair of Rise Against and other bands) have signed to Dine Alone Records, and they’ll release their new album on that label in 2020. Album title and release date are still TBA, but we know the album was produced by Stuart Sikes (who’s also worked with Riverboat Gamblers, plus Cat Power, Modest Mouse, Rocket From The Crypt, The White Stripes, and much more), and it features “Fashion Forward” and “Sin Will Find You,” which came out recently as a two-song single. We’re now premiering the video for “Fashion Forward,” a retro clip which makes Drakulas look transported back to a psychedelic ’60s party and has a noticeable (and admitted) Andy Warhol and Kenneth Anger influence. It’s a good fit for the song, which itself is a dose of vintage garage punk.

The video was shot on 16mm and directed and edited by Vanessa Pla, and it features cameos from actor John Buseman (as the “occult press provocateur”), drag performer Hentai (as a partygoer), and comedian Ryan Cownie. Here’s what the band tells us about it:

In the concept of our new record, the songs are stories that cross between an arcade/porno theater and a hip art gallery run by an ambitious occultist. ‘Fashion Forward’ focuses on a Factory style cult leader throwing a decadent drug-fueled party that is a preamble to a ritual; many rituals involve sex and substance. The short films of Kenneth Anger and Andy Warhol were big inspirations. We kind of went down a hole of experimental short films to grab ideas from.

It was shot in a space next to a porno store on the outskirts of Austin, TX on a Sunday. Many lonely men wandered in during the shoot to stare longingly at our production. A dedicated crew threw up and took down multiple setups in under a day.

Watch the new video and stream the two-song single below…

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