Charlotte prog post hardcore act MINDVAC teasing new EP with "Pastime" video

In the depths of drummer Garrett Herzfeld's basement, Charlotte-based trio Mindvac embarked on their journey, capturing their unique blend of post-hardcore, metal, and prog in their self-titled debut EP. The recordings took place just steps away from an enigmatic human-sized cage left by a former tenant, which seemed to infuse an indescribable presence into the music. Under the guidance of Black Dahlia Murder‘s front-of-house engineer and Wretched drummer, Marshall Wieczorek, Mindvac shaped their recordings into a visceral experience that seamlessly merges energy, color, and raw intensity.

Today, we’re stoked to give you their new video for the genre blender "Pastime"!

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While guitarist/vocalist Syd Little drew inspiration from the likes of Mastodon, Baroness, Whores, The Fall of Troy, and Smashing Pumpkins, the musical influences of Herzfeld and bassist Andy Cummins, including At The Drive-In, Drive Like Jehu, and The Mars Volta, also found their way into the band's sonic tapestry. The result is a captivating fusion of intricate musicianship, catchy grooves, heavy riffs, and poignant chord progressions.

Guitarist / main riff-writer Syd Little gave us his thoughts on the song "Pastime": "Pastime is the first song Mindvac wrote, both when it was just me in my bedroom and when Garrett and Andy joined. The opening riff was me trying to write the angriest thing I could at the time. I sat down to write lyrics in June 2020, angry about the latest cases of aggressive state violence against black people, angry about how America seems to hate the poor, angry that living here means living with the constant threat of gun violence. The cynic in me believes that these problems are this country's curse, that over the last 400 years we’ve built up bad karma that has to be paid off. So if we’re all just passengers on America's karmic loop, the best I can do is write an angry song about it."

Drummer/editor of the music video Garrett Herzfeld‘s commented on the "Pastime" video: "My basement where we practice and where we recorded the EP is an eerie space. When I moved in, I found there was a large floor-to-ceiling cage down there. We’re around it so often that we’re used to it now, but it doesn't make it any less creepy. I thought it’d be the perfect place to film parts of a music video. So, the music video for "Pastime" ended up being us playing in the cage mixed with live footage from a particularly fun show we played at The Milestone in Charlotte."

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Although lyrics often take a backseat to the music for Little, who describes writing them as "a chore," four out of the six songs on the EP feature his fierce vocal delivery. Despite his initial reluctance, his lyrics convey heartfelt messages and explore themes of imbalanced relationships and the quest to find hope in a fractured country plagued by a history of violence.

Mindvac had been gearing up to perform live when the pandemic struck, but once events resumed, they wasted no time in captivating audiences with their intense and thrilling live shows, quickly gaining devoted followers.

The band is ecstatic to finally release their EP on all major streaming platforms and CD on Friday, May 19th, 2023. The highly anticipated release show will take place the following night at Charlotte's renowned venue, Snug Harbor, with support from local punk bands Plan B and Mutant Strain, as well as Asheville's own Tongues of Fire.