chuck vibes
In the wild - Photo by Alicia Hauff
Post-punk artist Chuck Vibes didn’t know it at the. time, but playing the wrestling video game, WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw, would have some unintended consequences later in life. The rock-centric program of songs ended up giving Vibes some direction for his next move when his rap group splintered. From there, he began to explore 1980s post-punk and 1990s alt rock alongside a growing fascination with breakcore.
Now, signed to CorpoRAT Records, he’s about to release the sequel to his buzzed-about EP, i wrote this in gotham, which will be formatted as a 12” vinyl with Part 1 on the A-side, and Part 2 on the B-side. “I don’t like to talk about it much, but the way I grew up I was on my own a lot,” the Spokane, Washington-based artist says. “These life struggles come out in my music—it’s melancholy but upbeat. A lot of these songs are about finding myself.” Vibes conjures an emotionally evocative sensibility. In his world, abstract lyrics and rugged beats coated with ethereal soundscapes jeweled with chiming electric guitars swirl below vocals that veer from impassioned soulful to detached cool. “I’m an anxious person, and that’s why my songs are so short—there is a feeling of release in the music—like Adderall in music form,” Vibes shares. Throughout, Vibes flirts with goth, emo, hip-hop, punk, indie-rock, pop, shoegaze, and the electronic dance music subgenres such as breakbeat, witch house, and trap.
Though Vibes has garnered favorable comparisons to avant bedroom electro-pop artists such as Eyedress, Current Joys, and Ekkstacy, one way he distinguishes himself is through his live show. He performs with a full band as Chuck Vibes & The Dead Feels, and his live show explodes with manic punk rock energy—in fact, Vibes is currently recovering from a torn disc from his frenetic performance style. “I take the live show very seriously. I want to make sure people get what they paid for,” Vibes says. Vibes grew up surrounded by church music while living with his strict grandmother. He can recall hearing pop bands like The Fray and Maroon 5 on the radio, and those band’s attention to songwriting and strong pop hooks have subtly seeped into his aesthetic, snuck in beneath roiling and adrenalized soundscapes. As a teen, Vibes joined a rap crew, but he was restless in his search for a less codified artistic avenue. When the rap group dissolved, he remembered the rock music from those wrestling video game days, and explored the genre until he discovered the dark romanticism of The Cure and the Smashing Pumpkins. During this time, Vibes also began deep-diving on Spotify checking out break-core artists.
In 2022, Vibes found his artistic stride with his debut EP, i wrote this in gotham, which immediately connected with a fanbase hungering for punk expression melded with post-punk electronic abstract expression. CorpoRAT Records head honcho Kris Martin had heard of Vibes and fell in love with the EP. When Martin accidentally stumbled upon seeing Vibes live at a mixed-genre show, he decided to invite Vibes onto the label. Vibes is currently writing his follow-up to i wrote this in gotham which will be a deeper examination of the shadowy themes explored on the EP. Part 2 will feature more of a post-punk aesthetic because Vibes plans to keep his break-core explorations separate and release those on a future release. For such a young artist it’s been a long journey from WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw, to a rap group, to finding Chuck Vibes. Looking back, Vibes recalls one powerful moment that is indelibly etched in his mind. Right before his rap crew split, one of its members predicted Vibes would blow up and be successful. “That was a really meaningful moment,” he admits. “But I don’t dwell on it. My big goal this year isn’t just to turn heads with the band, it’s to make people do a complete 180.” - Lorne Behrman