Stephanie’s DJ Pick this week is “Vampire Empire” by Big Thief! This long-awaited single debuted live months ago. Clips and audio from live performances made the rounds on TikTok and the internet at large before the studio version released on July 18th.
“Vampire Empire” is produced so that listeners feel like they’re in the crowd at an intimate performance. This raw sound is reminiscent of the live version that gained so much attention and hype. Lead vocalist Adrianne Lenker delivers an emotive performance, showcasing masterful control over her instrument. The song’s sound makes the emotional moments feel authetnic, controlled and grounded. Overall, the song is a moderately slow build, resulting in gratifying highs of moments where you can feel the narrator’s anger.
Thematically, “Vampire Empire” is not your typical breakup song. The lyriucs fuse witty metaphor and scathing detail about the subject of the narrator’s frustration in a seemingly doomed relationship. Lyrics like “You turn me inside out and then you want the outside in / You spin me all around and then you ask me not to spin” are relatable for anyone who’s felt the specific impossibility of pleasing someone who can never be satisfied with who you are or what you do.
With “Vampire Empire,” we’re witnessing the narrator right in the middle of all this conflict and emotion. With lyrics in the very first verse like “The milk has just expired, all the leaves are dead” you can tell that something has died, but it’s not quite over. All these things together make this release something quite special for Big Thief.
Tune in to 100.1 FM or lightning100.com all day to hear “Vampire Empire” by Big Thief, Stephanie’s DJ Pick of the Week! Share your thoughts on the track by tagging #L100DJPicks on Twitter!
