Based in the Texan city of San Antonio and with deep roots in Mexican culture, darkwave/synth-punk solo artist Night Ritualz (aka Vincent Guerrero IV) weaves Tejano influences into his songs, blending English and Spanish lyrics into music that combines atmospheric soundscapes suffused with pulse-pounding beats to tell stories that are both deeply personal and universally relatable.

Having released a number of singles since 2023, these and several new songs are included on a self-titled debut album to be released by Metropolis Records on 7 March. He describes the record as "a time stamp in my music journey. The songs are all very different and I feel that it's a good representation of myself and where I am at this point in my life".

Night Ritualz initially drew inspiration from artists such as Depeche Mode, Deftones and At The Drive-In, blurring the line between darkwave, electro, EBM and post-punk to create a genre he terms "Fuck Wave".

"'Fuck Wave' is anything horny, erotic and sensual that just makes people feel good", he explains. "I feel like my music puts people in that mood and allows them to just be themselves without judgement of any kind. Another reason is because, at the end of the day, 'Fuck' what everyone thinks. We only have one life, so spend it doing stuff you like and that makes you happy. I see it as an empowering term."

Delving deeper into what he wants his listeners to get out of his music, he continues: "I want people to feel like I'm being real with them. I don't write stuff to sound cool or be something I'm not. I'm telling real stories and experiences that I've gone through in my life. Depending on the song, I might want listeners to get hyped up to hit a club and dance with all their homies, or I might want them to plan on running away to another country to meet the love of their life".

As for the eponymous album title: "I was thinking long term and for my first official album I wanted something that I can look back on and be proud of. Self-titling is like a guy naming his first son Jr after himself. It would be weird to name your second kid Jr!" Link