Vision Video Release New Single "Beautiful Day To Die"
Athens, Georgia based Vision Video returns with “Beautiful Day To Die,” a remarkably vibrant single from the post-punk/gothic quartet, through which they announce their sophomore album, Haunted Hours, for an October 11 release. The band premiered a video for the track via Post-Punk, and they head out across the Eastern half of the U.S. starting tomorrow night in Nashville [all dates below]. Watch + share the video via YouTube. Pre-order Haunted Hours here.
Led by songwriter/guitarist/vocalist Dusty Gannon, who served two tours of Afghanistan in the Army before becoming an EMT with the Atlanta Fire Department, channels these experiences of the horror of war and trauma into his music. Discussing “Beautiful Day To Die” he noted, “I wrote this track about my experiences as a paramedic and firefighter seeing a lot of death first hand, and how you become well acquainted with it in a very surreal, yet comfortable way.
It’s about how I had to become friends with the concept of mortality because I was around it so regularly. The shock of seeing bodies becomes more pedestrian, and you’re even able to see beauty in some situations; like when families come together over loss, or the stories people will tell you about the deceased.
This song is about celebrating the frailty of life. We do not get to decide how, or when we will die, but it is all the while certain. While that can be somewhat existential-dread inducing, I like to think of it as a clarion call to appreciate what time we are afforded.”
Haunted Hours follows Vision Video’s acclaimed 2021 debut, Inked In Red, which garnered praise from Pitchfork, Paste, WUGA (NPR), Post-Punk.com with the band gracing the cover of Athens weekly paper, Flagpole. Released in the midst of the pandemic, Vision Video’s Gannon turned to social media to open up about his experiences, which ultimately led him back to the world of goth and post-punk music, creating his ‘Goth Dad’ alter-ego via TikTok, garnering well over 300k followers on the platform, along over 150k on Instagram.
Gannon continues his journey, grappling with the darkest demons of the human soul and mind with Haunted Hours, though through the outlet of creativity, he has managed to embrace some of the light… the parts that make us or completes us, as human beings, including music and being together to share a moment. Nowhere is this more apparent than on “Beautiful Day To Die.”
This time around Gannon is not content to just tell his own story. He draws from the experiences of Vision Video’s new legion of fans, or ‘Baby Bats’, as they are known in TikTok circles. This new, empathetic approach to writing is fully realized in the title track “Haunted Hours” which channels the true story of a fan's husband's untimely passing that was transformed into arguably the most accessible, yet meaningful song the band has written. Dusty reflected on this track - “I wanted to capture the ache of loss, the weight of memory and the appreciation of memory all at once.” This sentiment is realized through the melody of an incredibly catchy chorus that captures loss wrapped in beauty.
Gannon is joined in Vision Video by classically trained pianist Emily Fredock on keys and vocals, Dan Geller - the producer behind synth-pop act, I am the World Trade Center - on bass, and Jason Fusco of the punk band Shehehe on drums. The album was once again produced by Tom Ashton (The March Violets), who manned the helm on Inked In Red.
Ultimately the story of Haunted Hours would be incomplete though without a discussion of the Goth Dad phenomenon. After experiencing so much pain and suffering first-hand, Dusty threw himself into a character he created on social media to help others deal with their pain, be it the loss we all share from the pandemic, or accepting yourself for who you truly are no matter what other people think. This fervent leverage of the time lockdown provided has been the story of Vision Video, the band used this opportunity to create, build a following, and reach out to the world, letting them know they are not alone. The message resonated, leading to over 500k followers across social media platforms.
Goth Dad is now part of the band, and the love and support provided by the Baby Bats has let the band flourish. Vision Video made a tough decision to not sign to a label and control their own destiny. The Baby Bats have provided the support to make an independent Vision Video successful, allowing them to make another record on their own terms, and the band is forever grateful.
Vision Video Tour Dates:
06/30 – Nashville, TN @ The East Room
07/01 – Indianapolis, IN @ Healer
07/02 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
07/03 – Detroit, MI @ The Underground @ DIME
07/04 – Pittsburgh, PA @ The Spirit Lodge
07/05 – Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place
07/06 – Boston, MA @ Middle East
07/07 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right
07/08 – Washington, DC @ Comet Ping Pong
07/09 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
07/10 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
07/11 – Cleveland, OH @ The Foundry
07/12 – Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
07/13 – Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle
07/14 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
07/15 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
07/16 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn
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