En-Vitro might be best described as a punk band, but that might not be the most accurate descriptor. There are lots of punk elements here – fast drums and guitars, nihilism, a lo-fi DIY production sound, and plenty of charisma. “Bury Me” is perfect punk rock:
That’s so infectious. It sounds like it was recorded off the floor in a single take (edit: it might have been!). Super skilled musicians, and the whole thing is perfectly imperfect.
Then you get something like “Seasons”. It starts out like a jazz piece. Saxphones! Harmonies! But wait for the second half to hit (then watch this live performance of it, it’s incredible):
This is En-Vitro, four guys from LA. Apparently the name comes from the origin story of the lead singer, which feels like a little TMI. There isn’t a whole lot to know about them – their debut self-titled record came out in May, and they’ve been playing a lot ever since. They don’t do a lot of digital – their website is a work-in-progress and their YouTube only has three songs played live. Their Tiktok game is strong though, and it’ll give you a sense of who these guys are.
The guitar work on this record is so kinetic and engaging. There’s more than one example of this, but “Gullible” sounds like it could be a Good Kid song. The noodly guitars and super-tight performance are irresistible:
The record is less than 30 minutes long, but the band pulls off a lot in that time frame. It closes with “Spores”, a midtempo instrumental track. Check out this live recording of it, and stay to the end:
Actually, forget everything above here, and watch this live set. The sound is good and you can see how hard these guys rip:
They’re teasing lots of shows in the next few months, and judging by the live videos all over YouTube, you’d be crazy not to go if you’re in the area.
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