VHS PANTY RIOT operates in a specific and deliberate space. The UK-based project draws from the aesthetic language of 1980s horror and VHS culture, blending synthwave with heavier, more confrontational production in a way that uses nostalgia as a source of tension rather than comfort. There is a significant difference between those two things, and KISS KISS CUT CUT, released June 30, 2026, makes that difference audible across every track.
The lead single You’re Pretty When You Panic arrived first as the opening statement of the EP, and it set the tone precisely. The project moved away from the more contemplative, atmospheric synthwave of earlier releases toward something heavier and more direct, a sound defined by friction rather than warmth. Cultural references from the 1980s are embedded throughout, but they are not deployed as nostalgia. They are recontextualized into something that feels contemporary and unsettling in equal measure.
The EP
KISS KISS CUT CUT is instrumental music, and it is worth saying upfront that the absence of vocals is a creative strength rather than a limitation. The project builds complete worlds within each track using synthesizers, drums, and textural sound design, and the listener’s imagination is given room to fill in the narrative gaps. That space is part of what makes the listening experience genuinely immersive.
You’re Pretty When You Panic opens the record with the electronic equivalent of a locked door and something scratching at it from the other side. The tension is immediate and sustained. A hypnotic rhythm anchors what is happening while the production layers in dissonance and release in a pattern that feels deliberately cinematic, like a score designed for a film that does not yet exist but immediately should.
The remaining tracks on the EP continue that cinematic approach across different emotional registers, moving between industrial dread, propulsive energy, and moments of almost melodic beauty that the surrounding darkness makes feel harder-won than they would in any other context. The production throughout reflects a project that has developed a clear sonic identity and is now exploring how far that identity can stretch without losing its essential character.
What It Does Well
The best thing about KISS KISS CUT CUT is that it commits fully to its own vision. There is no hedging toward accessibility or mainstream palatability. VHS PANTY RIOT makes the music they are making and trusts the audience to find it, which is the only honest approach to this kind of work. The 1980s references never feel like a costume. They feel like a genuine point of creative departure, something the project started from and has now moved considerably beyond.
Final Thoughts
KISS KISS CUT CUT is a strong and focused EP from a project with a distinctive identity and a clear sense of where it is headed. If you came to VHS PANTY RIOT through the more atmospheric end of the synthwave spectrum, this will surprise you. If you are new to the project, this is a very good place to start.
KISS KISS CUT CUT is out now. Released June 30, 2026. Follow VHS PANTY RIOT for new releases.
