Vampire Valentine announce ‘Scarred & Sacred’ EP, out October 25
Vampire Valentine release “Scarred & Sacred”, a six-track EP, on October 25, 2026 via Morella Records, their fourth release since signing in January.
Vampire Valentine release “Scarred & Sacred” on October 25, 2026 via Morella Records. The six-track EP is the UK darkwave and post-punk trio’s fourth release since signing to the label on January 15, 2026, following a run of singles, the “Pale Dawn” EP and their self-titled debut album this past August.
Where the self-titled album was a complete statement of the band’s sound, “Scarred & Sacred” follows a single arc across its six tracks: sin, repentance and the reckoning that waits at the gate. “Scarred & Sacred is our sins repenting and facing your fate in the afterlife at the gate,” the band says. “We wanted six tracks that felt like one story, not six songs that happened to ship together. It starts calm and it does not stay that way.”
Scarred & Sacred tracklist
- Scarred (instrumental) – an atmospheric, melodic intro that turns unsettling, setting up the EP.
- Broken Sins – a full-length track pairing darkwave production with post-punk revival.
- Talisman – the story of a lover placing a talisman with a dying partner to guide them to the other side.
- Lover Not A Biter (instrumental) – a hard-driven darksynth track.
- GORE! (instrumental) – a darksynth cut the band describes as built on 1980s horror soundtracks and visuals.
- Sacred – the title track and closer, a post-punk song ending on vocals from frontman Michael Longstaff.
Credits
Michael Longstaff handles lyrics and vocals, Kieron Wright plays bass and Tobias Cowen Pickard plays drums. Tony Gunk produced, composed, mixed and mastered all six tracks. Ricky Conover, who records as Forerunnerx, co-produced and co-composed “Scarred”, “Lover Not A Biter” and “GORE!”. Blake Carpenter plays guitar on “Broken Sins”, “Talisman”, “Lover Not A Biter” and “GORE!”.
About Vampire Valentine
Vampire Valentine is a darkwave and post-punk band from Newcastle upon Tyne, formed in October 2025 by producer Michael Longstaff and bassist/guitarist Kieron Wright, who connected through a mutual acquaintance, along with drummer Tobias Cowen Pickard. US producers Ricky Conover (Forerunnerx) and Tony Gunk handle production.
The band draws on The Sisters of Mercy, Twin Tribes, She Past Away and Lebanon Hanover. They debuted on November 14, 2025 with the single “Porcelain”, backed with “Olivia”, which goth journalist Mick Mercer called an “Excellent Debut”. A second single, “Thorns”, followed on December 1, 2025. Vampire Valentine signed to Morella Records on January 15, 2026 and released their debut full-length album that August, having already shared the singles “In The Dark” and “Cutting Ties” from it. “Scarred & Sacred”, out October 25, follows as the band’s fourth Morella release in under a year.
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