Kettering-based darksynth project VHS Panty Riot have been building their world out of 80s horror soundtracks, retro action game music, and the heavier end of modern electronic production. “Peel The Sun”, released in May and mixed and mastered by Juho Kilponen with artwork by Josie Kilby, is a standalone track written during the same period as their upcoming June EP but felt distinct enough to live on its own. The press notes describe it as sitting on the more nostalgic, cinematic side of their catalogue rather than the heavier material – music from an old film that was never finished, somewhere between sunset nostalgia and the moment where something starts to feel off.
Sonically, VHS Panty Riot manages to faithfully recreate that 80s soundscape while adding their own modern EDM melodic sensibilities. Those aforementioned sensibilities are clearly inspired by retro video game soundtracks, but this is definitely a chicken or the egg situation – because both those mediums have a symbiotic relationship with each other. The game soundtracks emerge from the EDM scene and a feedback loop happens, and the soundtracks influence the music back. The most impactful textures of choice here are a huge, chorused-out lead sound that tears through the mix to convey the visceral image of peeling the sun, and an energetic, danceable drum groove that keeps the momentum going.
For fans of Carpenter Brut and that specific intersection of cinematic dread and dancefloor energy, this is squarely in the wheelhouse. “Peel The Sun” is the lighter-toned entry point into a project that can clearly go darker when it wants to, which makes it a smart standalone release – it draws a wider circle without abandoning what the project is built on. The EP arriving in June should give a clearer picture of where VHS Panty Riot are headed, but this is a good reason to pay attention before it lands.
