Vempire is a newish dark wave/synth band from Nebraska (the most goth of all states) that revels in dark romanticism. On their first proper album, Your Steps, the band juggles classic ‘80s batcave sound with a modern pop sheen. “Blattodea” fits right in line with the current pop champions, but on the sad side of things. Yet, while the beats themselves may be for the dance club, albeit a sad one, the lyrics are strictly This Mortal Coil: “You're beyond reproach / Every day /I am a cockroach /Never going away.”

But,the band isn’t strictly easy listening. At times they flirt with with a sort of industrial edge. “Screenshots.png.exe” is a repeating stomper that has lyrics about how human beings are. Singer Lindsey Yoneda has her voice pushed into cenobite territory. Likewise, Mike Elfers, who is seen holding his head in his lap and crying in the band’s promo photo, switches between snappy listening and snapped listening. I also like how “Electricity” could be a Flock of seagulls song with some minor tweaking. The “Your Steps” remix has a killer video game bounce to it that somehow avoids being silly and gives the track a certain coked out paranoid 80s vibe.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Vempire is that they pull from a lot of related genres- darkwave, industrial, goth, without falling into any of the cliche-trap those genres have in abundance. Through the balancing act, the band pulls some interesting clashes and subtle, but powerful statements. If you want to dance but still be sad, here is your request for the DJ.