East LA punk band Death Lens have signed to Epitaph, and their first single for the label is the sneering, swaggering, genre-bending punk song “Vacant.” The band says:
Coming from absolutely nothing to getting signed by a label we grew up idolizing and always dreaming we’d be on is an incredible honor. We are still in awe that we get to share our name with such a legendary roster. To be a part of this legacy is so insane… we still can’t wrap our heads around it! Hard work pays off and we thank Epitaph for this once in a lifetime chance.
I [vocalist Bryan Torres] hold “Vacant” dear to my heart because it tells my everyday story of existing with social anxiety and relying on alcohol to break that since I was young. Growing up with ADHD, I turned to alcohol as a way to slow my mind and feel normal around people, but it became a vice. Now that I’m older I’m trying to break that habit and try sobriety, but with sobriety comes a vacant feeling at times. My new obsession is writing and journaling how I feel to fill those voids, and that’s where the lyrics of “Vacant” came together.
The song was produced by The Movielife/I Am the Avalanche’s Brett Romnes, and it comes with a video. Check it out: