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Big Thief have finally shared the studio version of their “Vampire Empire,” a previously unreleased track that became a live favorite since its debut last year.
Following the release of Big Thief’s latest albumDragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You, “Vampire Empire” was first performed by Adrianne Lenker and company when the trek kicked off in Nov. 2022 in Southeast Asia.
The track has been performed live over 50 times since then — including during a visit to The Late Show With Stephen Colbert — but the band finally had a chance to record it during their 2023 European tour, laying down “Vampire Empire” in a Spain recording studio.
Lenker said of the track in a statement, “For me, it’s about getting out of toxic internal patterns—leaving the empire of energy drains that obscure pure essence, learning about what healthy boundaries are, and finding the power to implement them for the possibility of giving and receiving (both inwardly and outwardly) unbroken and infinite Love.”
In addition to the track’s new lyric video, Big Thief will release a 7″ single of “Vampire Empire” on October 20, with the B-side boasting the new studio version of another previously unreleased live staple, “Born for Loving You.”
Big Thief are currently in the midst of a North American tour that will take them to Chicago this weekend for a headlining gig at the Pitchfork Music Festival.
