Los Angeles,California: When you really think about it, true Halloween anthems are hard to find. There’s “Monster Mash” and Ministry - no-one would argue with those. But too many others slip in by virtue of a suggestive lyric or even an appropriate title… have you ever actually listened to the words to “Don’t Fear The Reaper”? You might as well repurpose the Stones’s “She’s A Rainbow”… “have you seen her dressed in black?”
Enter, then, WARFIELD, the dark wave dynamo fronted by She Wants Revenge’s Justin Warfield, and “Black Halloween.”
It’s a non-album cut, meaning it’s from neither his most recent Death Rock Devotionals Vol 1 EP nor the forthcoming volume two. Rather, it’s a stand-alone seasonal anthem, written for precisely the reasons outlined above,
Justin explains, “For years I’ve dreamed of writing a Halloween song which could not only be the kind of song I wished existed for my own playlists and listening, but so that I could contribute something to the pantheon if you will. Like, why can’t I write an evergreen holiday song for the goths, punks, death rockers, and freaks who live it before and after October?”
It was not easy, he admits, especially as Halloween already seemed to be just around the corner. This year, however, the timing was perfect.
“One day I walked in the studio, picked up a guitar, and immediately started playing. As luck would have it and as sometimes is the case, what came off my fingers straight away felt right.”
Rather than record it in a traditional way, however, “I took to Instagram and went live, writing the song in front of a live audience. At the end I gave away the title, and tucked it away as I got ready for a tour." (Watch the Instagram sessions here - live session on IG.)
“A few days before the tour, I wrote the chorus, but I still wasn’t happy with the verses. Then, a few hours before I had to leave for the airport for a European tour, I sat down, rewrote the verses, sang them, did a rough mix of the song, sent it off to the label, and to my mixer so he could put the finishing touches on it while I was flying overseas.”
The result, released today on both single and a truly captivating video, s perfection, neither a plea for understanding (“Everyday Is Halloween”) nor a misappropriated title (“There’s a Ghost In My House”); not a realigned movie hit (“Time Warp”) nor a novelty comic cut. Just a joyous, rambunctious and deliriously illustrative celebration of lifestyle, culture and lust - a love song, an overture and a driving, driven dance number which encapsulates everything we love about this one magical night, and then spreads it out across the entire calendar.
“I tasked myself with a heavy lift,” concludes Justin, “to not only write something I loved, but which could stand the test of time, and though it came about in a truly unorthodox manner, and was finished just in the nick of time, I have to say I’m really pleased with how it turned out, and cannot wait for people to hear it and hopefully make it a part of their tradition and lives”.
“Sleep with all the lights on,” sings Justin… and indeed, you should. But only so you can see what you’re doing, while you do it, and who you’re doing it with. Happy Halloween!
SINGLE: https://orcd.co/warfield_blackhalloween
