San Antonio, TX-based darkwave/synth punk solo artist Night Ritualz has released his new single “Sharing Skin“.
The song is taken from his upcoming self-titled debut album due to be released on March 7 via Metropolis Records. Pre-order it here.
With deep roots in Mexican culture, Night Ritualz (aka Vincent Guerrero IV) weaves Tejano influences into his songs, blending English and Spanish lyrics into music that combines atmospheric soundscapes suffused with pulse-pounding beats to tell stories that are both deeply personal and universally relatable.
The debut LP includes some of the singles released since 2023, and several new songs. He describes the record as “a time stamp in my music journey. The songs are all very different and I feel that it’s a good representation of myself and where I am at this point in my life.”
Night Ritualz initially drew inspiration from artists such as Depeche Mode, Deftones and At The Drive-In, blurring the line between dark wave, electronica, EBM and post-punk to create a genre he terms ‘Fuck Wave’.
“‘Fuck Wave’ is anything horny, erotic and sensual that just makes people feel good,” he explains. “I feel like my music puts people in that mood and allows them to just be themselves without judgement of any kind. Another reason is because, at the end of the day, ‘Fuck’ what everyone thinks. We only have one life, so spend it doing stuff you like and that makes you happy. I see it as an empowering term.”
Delving deeper into what he wants his listeners to get out of his music, he continues: “I want people to feel like I’m being real with them. I don’t write stuff to sound cool or be something I’m not. I’m telling real stories and experiences that I’ve gone through in my life. Depending on the song, I might want listeners to get hyped up to hit a club and dance with all their homies, or I might want them to plan on running away to another country to meet the love of their life.”
As for the eponymous album title:
“I was thinking long term and for my first official album I wanted something that I can look back on and be proud of. Self-titling it is like a guy naming his first son Jr after himself. It would be weird to name your second kid Jr!”
Of the single, he says:
“Sharing Skin is a heartfelt love song about the transformative power of both love & loss. It speaks to the experience of going through something difficult, whether it’s the end of a relationship, a personal sacrifice, or losing yourself and emerging from it with a deeper, more profound understanding of both yourself and the profound connections we find in others. highlighting the pain and confusion of what’s been lost, While reveals that this loss wasn’t an end—it was a path to something more for filling.“
Take a listen now.
NIGHT RITUALZ TRACKLISTING:
- Make Me Feel
- Take Me 2 The Crib
- Cross My Heart
- Soñar
- Vida (feat. Vick Vapors)
- Try Means Fail
- Cuando Andas
- Sharing Skin
- Hace Tiempo
- Turn N Burn
- Take My Eyes
- I Never Get What I Wanted (feat. Philadonna)
