In preparation for the release of their upcoming album, The Fear, Colorado indie-rock band, Viretta have arrived with their eerie new music video for “Cordyceps.” Filmed at the iconic Denver DIY venue, Seventh Circle Music Collective, the video for “Cordyceps” is not only gritty, but incredibly bone-chilling – the perfect visual to embody the theme of fear and doubt that encompasses the song.
Viretta’s highly anticipated new album, The Fear will arrive on May 18th, but fans won’t have to wait long to hear more new music from the upcoming release. You can be sure to hear new material at Viretta’s upcoming live shows, and the band even has plans to drop two more music videos following “Cordyceps”!
Watch the music video for “Cordyceps” and read what the band had to say about the video and The Fear below! Be sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter for more updates, and catch them live on May 18th with The Struts at The Ogden Theatre! Tickets are available HERE.
The Prelude Press: You guys had an insanely busy 2017 and are getting ready for a 2018 that promises to top it. What are you excited for in the coming months?
Michael Moroni: It’s a mix. We’ve been sitting on these new songs for a long time so I’m excited for people to hear them and hear a new side of Viretta. But at the same time, I’m anxious to put them behind us. The kids have graduated, it’s time to kick them out of the house so we can make some more.
Jon Cales: Playing more shows, and finally getting this album released. We’ll be playing shows in Nashville for the first time ever, which I’ve personally never been, so it’ll be great to explore that music scene!
You’ll be releasing your new album, The Fear this May. I’m sure there’s a lot, but what are you the most proud of on this release?
Michael: We had a goal, and it took way too long, but every single step of the way, we didn’t compromise on ANYTHING. Not a lot of bands can say that, even famous ones. I really wanted a record where we could say we did everything we wanted to. And now we have it.
The Fear has been a long time in the making, too. What has been the most challenging aspect of working on this record?
Michael: Personally, I did not have a lot of mixing experience. The most challenging aspect has been finding out what we wanted to hear and then coming up against the wall of what I could do. But even in that process I would learn a little bit more, which pushed the wall back. It became a never-ending battle.
Jon: Making sure the drums capture the right feel for the song.
What has been the most rewarding thing about working on the album?
Jon: Hearing everything come together. All of the harmonies and extra parts that we can’t perform on stage add cool textures that I wasn’t aware would happen. It’s nice, it allows you to have two different ideas of the songs.
Michael: Being done with it.
Robert Moroni: Showing people!! The feedback so far has been awesome.
Last month you released “You Are My IV,” your first new single in quite a while, and now you’re releasing your new song, “Cordyceps”! What inspired this track?
Michael: It’s a really old one, about zombies, Serenity, and the government spending my money. I remember writing the verses at my first job. Glad it’s finally found a home, it’s a banger.
Jon: Zombies, and making a track that John Wick could go on a murderous rampage to.
Robert: Being mad that the record wasn’t out yet!
The music video for Cordyceps is intense! Where did the idea for the video come from?
Robert: It has a lot to do with fear, doubt… feeling like you’re holding yourself back, or letting yourself get in the way of what you should be doing. We’re not usually over elaborate with our metaphors, but having the arms as a visual was something that we had in mind for a very long time. I’m so glad it worked out. The first shot we had of the arms were so creepy, I got goosebumps from the first take on set! Shoutout to our extras Stephen Roth, Katha Pajavaara, and Tatum Russo! They were covered in black paint for the video shoot for hours! Our excellent film crew: Daniel Rachlitz and Demi Barrela-Deherrera also killed it!
What do you hope listeners take away from “Cordyceps” and the rest of The Fear?
Jon: That Viretta is still working hard to make music that doesn’t suck.
Michael: I’m not too invested in a “message” of the record. The only thing I focused on was the songs. If people listen to them, they’ll already know more than I could just tell them about the record. But if there’s anything people should listen to on “Cordyceps” (the whole record actually) it’s Jon’s drums. His drums are the best part of the record and were my guiding light when I was mixing. That snare ghost-note roll thing he does at the beginning is one of my favorite things he plays, because I haven’t seen any drummer pull it off like he does. There is a moment like that on every song.
With The Fear coming in May, can fans expect to hear some more new songs before then?
Michael: We have two music videos coming out after “Cordyceps” and we’re playing all this stuff and more live. The Fear is a 12-song album. People will have to hide under a rock to avoid it. Actually, Track 5 will find them under there.
Jon: Absolutely. We’re currently working on new material which is being added into the set lists for this year!
Do you have any other big plans for 2018?
Jon: Aside from getting new tunes out after The Fear, I would say staying hungry to play the next big show.
Michael: Going to Nashville for a few days in April. Plus we changed the album release to May 18th since we’re opening for The Struts at the Ogden, which I am over the moon about. We also have plenty of new songs on the way already. We’ll keep you in the know. We can be real loud when we want to.
“CORDYCEPS” CAST & CREW
Directed by: Daniel Rachlitz – @denzelreckless
& Demi Barrela-Deherrera – @demidearest
Guitar & Vocals: Michael Moroni – @mjmoroni11
Guitar: Robert Moroni – @robertmoroni
Drums: Jon Cales
Bass: Bryan Cahill – @buhbuhbry
Arms by: Stephen Roth
Katha Pajavaara: – @pajavaarak https://bit.ly/2GHABbP
Tatum Russo: – @preprallymusic https://bit.ly/2GFmWSF
Filmed at: Seventh Circle Music Collective