the western gate — a debut EP in eight songs

vantalow

half of vantalow has never heard these songs.

listen

the western gate

eight songs, in the order they were received

Kisses Keptgothic country
Pane at the Covedream-pop
What Lips My Lips Have Kissedjazz torch song
When We Two Parteddarkwave
Luke Havergaldeathcore
Neutral Tonestrip-hop
Surprised by Joysoul ballad
The Cross of Snowambient choral

ii.

the legend

the following is everything that is known

fact 1.

vantalow is two people: serebella, who sings, and tompkin, who has never heard a single note of their music.

fact 2.

tompkin has been deaf since the night of a particular lightning storm. he does not discuss the storm, and it is considered impolite to ask.

fact 3.

he composes by light. he studies the way candlelight refracts off the grooves of a spinning record, and writes down what he sees.

fact 4.

he reads records the way others read braille.

fact 5.

he tunes his instruments by watching the flame of a candle tremble.

fact 6.

he considers a mix finished when the light coming off the record stops arguing with itself.

fact 7.

serebella is the only voice the candle has ever approved.

fact 8.

the EP arrived at the label as eight unlabeled lacquer discs and one pressed flower.

iii.

the two

serebella & tompkin. there is no third member, whatever the candle says

three studio views of tompkin, a bearded man in a black hat, a toothpick at his lip and a lipstick mark on his neck — tompkin — composer, keeper of the candle
he writes the songs by candlelight and has never heard one. he says little, and holds a toothpick where other men hold opinions. the mark on his neck is addressed below.

three studio views of serebella, a singer with a pale lavender bob, dark winged eyeliner and a polka-dot blouse — serebella — the voice
the only voice the candle has ever approved. she has heard the songs. she sings them so that tompkin can watch.

they met at four in the morning, outside a dance hall that had closed for good earlier that same evening. tompkin was driving the county’s last all-night hearse-for-hire. serebella mistook it for a taxi, and he did not correct her. she rode upright in the back and sang to keep herself company.

tompkin pulled over twice. once to listen, and once because the candle he keeps on the dashboard had bent toward the sound. neither of them can explain the candle. neither of them tries.

three weeks later they pressed the first lacquer and scratched both their names into the runout groove. the thing between them needed a name. the dance hall’s dead marquee still read VANTA LO, and serebella declared the missing letters none of their business. the band has been vantalow ever since.

her audition was conducted by candlelight, in a sealed room, with tompkin watching the flame through the glass. she sang the first song. the flame, by all accounts, leaned.

the mark on tompkin’s neck is serebella’s, left the night of the hearse, in gratitude. it has never washed off. he has stopped trying to remove it. she considers it a signature.

iv.