Photo: Joseph Padilla
IN COVERT is a Los Angeles-based band that inhabits the shadowy corners of modern music. Blending gothic punk, doom metal, shoegaze, and industrial elements, their sound is a cinematic exploration of sci-fi and horror themes. The result is a powerful and evocative sonic landscape that mirrors the anxieties of contemporary life.
Originally a solo project of multi-instrumentalist Wes Lopez (La Ghost, Channel), In Covert evolved into a full band in late 2022 with the addition of drummer Oscar Ruvalcaba (The Warlocks, All Your Sisters, Flaamingos) and bassist/vocalist Kris Balocca (Phaeic, Sun Colont). This solidified line-up captured their most refined sound to date on their 2023 recordings at Moon Palace Productions with engineer/mixer Chris King.
Influenced by a diverse range of artists from Skinny Puppy to Electric Wizard and The Cure, In Covert’s music is both brutal and beautiful. Their latest single, ‘Death Embers’, is a fiery new track that showcases the band’s infectious energy and intensity – a genre grinder fed with gothic tinged punk, doom metal, shoegaze and industrial.
Wes Lopez writes:
“When I first came up with ‘Death Embers,’ it was a cold February morning in 2023. I watched a short film called My Sweet Satan, and I was blown away by it. I had this sense of feelings, not just from the movie but stemming from my frustrations about my own life. I had to let it out by playing my guitar. The opening riff just came right out, and I was stoked on it, so I just started recording the demo on the spot, in my bedroom studio.
“Then the song sat till that September when we started tracking with Chris King (Cold Showers / Kai Tak) at Paradise recorders in Fullerton. After we were done with the instrumentals, we sent those to Kris and he got to work writing the lyrics and tracked his vocals at home. He sent me his vocal takes and I was blown away. He is just amazing. Kris’s lyrics in this song are personal. It’s about losing a friend he had.
“When we got to the mixing phase and once we got the final mix dialled in, Chris King, Oscar and I were like ‘Wow!’ just in awe how it sounded. I’m just really happy about all the work we put into this song and finally get this out for people to enjoy.”
‘Death Embers’ is released on October 18 2024 via Dune Altar Records and can be pre-saved HERE
