In 2024, San Diego, California’s Hauntu, a band comprised of former members of Luna/Warsaw, Holy Tears, The Dropscience, Fluf, and more, released a limited-edition seven-inch via Sell The Heart Records and then quickly returned in January with a fierce new single in “Crooked Teeth” and live shows with the likes of Clikatat Ikatowi, and others.
Hauntu’s sound is dark, heavy, and straight to the gut with hints of metal and goth strewn throughout its garagey undertones. But not all is bleak—Hauntu’s message is also filled with beauty and hope too. Taking inspiration from bands like Wipers and Hot Snakes, this band offer a very immediate, in-your-face approach to fast, down-stroked guitars and infuse layers of lush, pretty, and—dare I say—catchy vocals. Simply put, this is the kind of music that will leave a mark.
Now, the band are back with a cover of The Pixies’ “Velouria,” an amazing re-imagining with an even better video companion. The song is included on Sweet Cheetah Records’ forthcoming Debased, A Pixies Tribute.
Demetrius Antuna of Hauntu says he would play the intro riff to “Velouria” while dialing in his guitar tone and “When it sounds mean and chunky and metallic, then I know it’s dialed.” This practice ultimately led to the idea of covering the song and eventually to recreating the original video.
In the original Pixies video for “Velouria” (directed by Peter Fowler), the entirety of the video is a single shot of the members of the band running towards the camera jumping over boulders and eventually jumping over the camera, all shot on a cliffside landscape. The idea was to recreate this shot but interject fun little montages inspired by the lyrics of the song.
Antuna says, “The idea is loose, but essentially we wanted the band to suddenly appear in this strange place where the original video took place. Maybe it’s the planet Lemuria? Maybe it’s where Velouria is from? Maybe it’s just the band hanging out on the beach? There’s this idea of playful innocent love, alien abduction, and the rest is left for interpretation.”
On May 30, Debased, A Pixies Tribute, sees release digitally via Sweet Cheetah Records’ Bandcamp site and also includes contributions from Deaf Club (CA), MK Naomi (MA), Toilet Rats (MN), Oh Condor (OH), FVRMN (Japan), Holy Hands (MA), Kill Surf City (IN), Chris Broach (IL), and Palm Ghosts (TN).
The entire compilation was expertly mastered by Dan Coutant (Coliseum, Hostage Calm, Iron Chic, etc.) at Sun Room Audio, and cover art was contributed by Evil Jay (Boris, Dead Milkmen, 7 Seconds).
One-hundred percent of the proceeds from sales of this effort will be donated to Border Angels, a nonprofit organization that promotes a culture of love through advocacy and education by creating a social consciousness and engaging in direct action to defend the rights of migrants and refugees.
Photo by Becky DiGiglio.
