VOWWS, the Los Angeles-based Australian duo heavily inspired by Quentin Tarantino and horror movie scores, is back with the booming new single “One by One”, which comes alongside the B-side “Shadow Man”.

The accompanying music video for “One by One” was shot on 35mm film and directed by frequent collaborator Jordan Hemingway (Wolf Alice, Travis Scott, Yves Tumor, Comme des Garçons), as well as being edited by VOWWS singer-keyboardist Rizz.

The “One by One” single also includes a B-side, “Shadow Man” – together they represent two sides of the same state of mind. As the world struggles toward its 3rd year of a near-permanent state of upheaval, “One by One” reflects a manic, self-righteous and blissfully deluded march towards hedonistic self-destruction, notes the press release, while “Shadow Man” is the introspective come down; an attempt to find meaning and redemption in the wreckage.

Listen to both tracks on here and check out the band’s excellent new video below.

“’One by One’ is about the lies we tell ourselves to make sense of our lives,” explains singer-guitarist Matt James. “If we start believing them too much, eventually they can take us over. By thinking we can have everything we want all the time, anytime, forever, and be righteous while doing it – these appetites will eventually consume us and define us, leaving us with nothing real. Shadow Man is the aftermath…it’s no less confused but it’s looking around wondering what went wrong.”

“We’re both fans of films that capture the desert in a dark, mystical, lawless style,” adds Rizz, citing Natural Born Killers, From Dusk Till Dawn, and that cowboy scene from Mullholland Drive as influences.

“It was the most insane shoot we’ve ever done, we drove out the middle of nowhere with no crew and shot for 24 hours straight. We were hauling 35mm cameras across sketchy landscape covered in broken glass and like, your feet would suddenly sink into some creature hole.

“We had extremely limited resources and everything that could go wrong went wrong, but everyone’s commitment to making it work was inspiring. As long as you have a vision & your heart’s in the right place, you don’t need food or water after all.”

VOWWS has been backed by Deftones frontman Chino Moreno and was on tour with Poppy before the pandemic hit. They’re an extremely do-it-yourself band that produces, directs and edits the majority of their own music videos that nearly all carry that grim lo-fi VHS aesthetic many of us love.

In 2020 VOWWS released multiple singles with must-see videos – “Impulse Control”, “Them” and “Stay Where You Are” all reflecting the monotonous, confusing and relentless dystopia of the year everything changed. In June 2021 the band released a cover of the Britney Spears hit, “Womanizer”, and are working on their 3rd full-length album, set for release in 2022.