All answers by Kevin “Pups” Moreno
What sparked the formation of DECEITS? How did you guys meet? (You can also say what sparked your reason for doing music in the first place! Just want to know the band’s origins.)
Hello Austin!
Short and boring answer for our formation: quarantine. However the better answer is that we officially formed in late 2021, but our musical background goes way back into the early 2010’s where I would play hardcore punk, metalcore and twinkly screamo. I met our drummer Sisco in 2007 and have been best friends ever since. We met our guitarist Skylar at our first ever show in early 2021.
As a band from LA, how does the Texas scene differ from California? Did Texas welcome you with open arms?
In my opinion it’s not too different, just more sparse and spaced out. Texas definitely welcomed us with open arms and when we first played in Texas in June, and we were more than happy to return in September because of the love.
What’s your favorite part of tour so far?
Trying local eateries, meeting new people, acting silly in new cities and performing to new and exciting audiences.
You say “If There’s No Heaven” is an album themed on “tragedy and hope”. What did you want people to understand about your music based on this album? Was there a specific goal you had in mind?
We wanted people to understand that life is best when there is variety and not monotonousness, which bleeds directly into our sound. We love dark and eerie music, but sometimes it can be too much and you want to listen to something light and blissful. We convey this with contrasting tracks like “A Burial of Dreams” and “To Just Fade Away.”
Are there any smaller bands who influence you guys? (Or just anyone you think people should be listening to right now?)
The Victoriana, True Faith, and Shadow Age are some smaller bands that I would say influenced me directly when we started this band. Past Self, Freedom Curse, False Figure, Total Pleasure, Digital Drvgs, and The Grin are a few goth related acts I would definitely recommend to listen.
Do you see goth, or alternative music in general, ever being at the forefront of music sometime in the future, or do you think the underground will stay underground? (Think of grunge in the 90s!)
In terms of music, maybe. I can see something like “goth” remixes of popular songs or genres picking up steam, but besides that I don’t think so.
Your stage presence is absolutely magnetic. What’s the inspiration for that, or where does that energy come from?
It comes from my background playing in hardcore and from my ADHD not letting me be able to stand still. At the end of the day, when I perform I'm still trying to entertain myself and my friends and being absolutely chaotic is what entertains me. I also love that it still tends to catch people off guard when I go wild, but the positive reactions after our performances from people always fuel me.
What is your creative process for songwriting?
Besides depressive spells, it’s usually as simple as humming a simple melody and translating that into an instrument.
Who is a bigger artist you hope to collaborate with one day?
13 year old me would say AFI and current me would say that he hopes that still comes true.
“Mi Amor, Mi Vampira” is my favorite song off the album. Do you think there are aspects of Latino culture that overlap with alternative subculture?
It’s probably the most fun song to play live too, so thank you. Being an Angeleno, Latino and alternative culture, especially goth, seem inseparable when it comes to influence in sounds and even aesthetics now.