The thorns they scratch so silently
Reminder of what’s come to be
You’re gone, there is no turning back
My universe is turning black
Boston newcomers Burn Kit burst forward with their emotionally charged single, High Spirits Don’t Live Here, featured prominently on their debut E.P., Fallen Rose. With this heartfelt anthem of despair, the band delves into the heavy emotional aftermath of loss, vividly illustrating the void left behind in spaces once filled with warmth and connection. Known already for their fiercely energetic stage presence, Burn Kit presents a more intimate side, exploring the intense emptiness and profound ache associated with mourning.
Listeners will find unmistakable echoes of post-punk pioneers: Joy Division, Wire, and Gang of Four, threaded through Burn Kit’s debut, with flickers of early R.E.M. and The Damned lending further nuance to their taut, emotionally charged sound.
High Spirits Don’t Live Here stares absence in the face. It captures how once-familiar spaces can turn hollow, how comfort curdles into unease, and how memory can sting sharper than silence. Valentino’s voice trembles with purpose, threading through the chiming, cutting guitars of Joshua and Frank. Twin bass lines from Padraic and Christopher create a slow-building pressure beneath, locked in step with Andrew’s deliberate, heartbeat percussion. The song blooms with striking imagery: fallen petals, thorn-pricked grief, and the suffocating stillness of aftermath. “High Spirits Don’t Live Here” transforms pain into presence with startling precision.
Directed by Austin Kranick and filmed in a historic cemetery chapel in Dover, New Hampshire, the accompanying video deepens the track’s emotional pull. Set against a snow-draped graveyard, it opens with tolling bells and mourners stepping from a hearse. Inside the chapel, the band performs in manic gloom, while Valentino prowls outside among the headstones, bouquet in hand. With its unexpected visual cues and cinematic flair, the video mirrors the song’s quiet devastation and sense of ritual farewell.
The chapel, unused for funeral services in decades, had since been repurposed as a cemetery office, though little had changed inside. Original pews and a dusty lectionary remained, lending a ghostly authenticity to the shoot. But what truly startled the band was the discovery of a chain-operated casket lift rising from the basement. As they recount it, the moment felt like a close encounter with the reaper himself:
“We oiled up the old chain crank and somehow got that platform functioning again,” Valentino remembers. “It hadn’t been moved in forever and was very heavy. On one of our test runs (fortunately with no one on or below it) the platform came off track and it fell to the ground from up high. Anyone below it would have been killed instantly. That was a good lesson learned for the first take. So we sent the casket up without me in it and I entered it for the first shot once it was already up on the stage and off the lift. We were cautious that the floor in front of the stage might give out and fall down 12-15 feet at any point. Luckily it stayed securely for the rest of the shoot.”
“The music video centers around death,” says Valentino. “It is obviously a symbolic representation…if you pay attention to small detail, you will see a clip where I’m sunken in the snow on my knees, singing to the gravestone of the person that I miss….The setting we chose sets the tone for the emotional basis of this video by letting the viewer in on this lightly-attended, frigid, dark funeral service for an unrevealed person. It is the listener’s choice who that person is.”
“One thing that will always stick in our minds is how unbelievably freezing this was,” he continues. “It was the coldest day in this area that I can think of in recent history. There was no heat or water in the chapel and hardly any working electricity. If the power blew, we would have been in trouble. We’re so lucky it didn’t. Our limbs were numb all day as negative temperatures haunted us both inside and outside the building. The snow-covered graveyard footage, the EP front and back cover… it was as cold as it looks, if not colder.”
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Listen to High Spirits Don’t Live Here below. The Fallen Rose EP features two other songs and is also available on 7” vinyl record here.
In their first year, Burn Kit played 140 shows across five tours worldwide, including a three-month run through Europe, as well as stops along the U.S. East and West Coasts, Mexico, Eastern Canada, and even a two-island tour of Hawaii with The Dwarves. Next month, they hit the road again, joining the legendary Dead Boys for a U.S. tour.
Burn Kit was kind enough to talk at length with Post-Punk.com about their creative process, the music video and their dynamic:
Can you share the story behind the formation of Burn Kit? How did you all come together as a band?
With the exception of Padraic (bass), each of these guys have been lifelong friends of mine through different channels. Which makes it personally very special when as I’m making art that means everything to me and I look around the room and it’s with these guys. There is a history that backlines the whole experience with a unique vitality that I’ve never experienced in any other artistic output I’ve been a part of. When Padraic stepped into the band, it took this level of feeling even higher. It truly feels unreal to be a part of.
“High Spirits Don’t Live Here” addresses themes of grief and loss. Can you talk about the inspiration behind this song?
As deeply personal as this song may sound, it originally wasn’t. When I write the lyrics, I listen to the music and it gives me a vision. As I was listening to my riffs I envisioned a black & white scene of someone who unexpectedly lost the most important relationship of their lives. Their world turned gray and the level of unhappiness and uncertainty of how they would go on is lingering at levels most would find unimaginable. I was in a happy long-term relationship when I wrote this song…ironically, within 2 years…this exact scenario happened to me. I experienced the worst emotional pain that I could ever dream to encounter. It put me to the ultimate test which I’m glad to have survived. It made me stronger, far more emotionally rugged and was a hard lesson in human nature. Even though I didn’t write the song about this when it came together, it foreshadowed where my life was headed. Which gives the song a whole new powerful true story and personal identity to it.
What was the creative process like for writing and recording “High Spirits Don’t Live Here?”
It was part of a group of songs I wrote and demo’d out back in 2018, way before Burn Kit was a thing. I saved them and knew I’d want to use them when I eventually did a project of this style. I went through and did a fresh demo of these songs that I gave to the band. From there, everything else developed. Sometimes the guys add in and tweak quite a few things, other times it’s very minor adjustments. It’s really on a song-by-song basis. We don’t change things just for the sake of changing it. It has to benefit the song. Frank & Joshua added a lot of cool little details to some of the guitar leads and the effects used on such. Andrew solidified the kick drum pattern to be a certain way. Chris held down the low end like a boss.
What is the overall theme or narrative behind “Fallen Rose?”
Any form of loss can unveil itself in an instant: appreciate what you have while you have it.
Can you give us some insights into them other two songs featured on the EP?
When You Know You, You Know is a melodic, jangley, upbeat post- punk/new wave tune that kicks off the EP. It’s about big pressure decisions that affect the rest of your life. Choosing a path and going for it with no looking back. Flash Flood London is a very different tune for us. It’s a Brit-punky, new wave tune with some Dead Kennedys Fresh Fruit-era style guitars in the verses coated by this dual Maiden-like guitar leads that Joshua brought to the table. Once that was in there, it solidified this song with an exclusive identity,
Tell us about the decision to release this EP on physical 7” vinyl—what does the vinyl format mean to the band?
We are a band that will always proudly represent a connection to the physical world. The internet is the most powerful global tool and we respect it. It’s allowed me to do crazy things like hit up thousands of strangers as I booked a 3-month European tour or send demo tapes to people in Turkey, Malaysia, Australia and beyond. But, there is an irreplaceable value when it comes to the art of human connection…Connecting with people in real life is infinitely more impressionable than anything you could possibly do online. The internet is a constant portal of overstimulation. You’re only going to stand out so much. This attitude transcends into our releases. Outside of a couple digital singles, we make sure everything exists in the physical world…To not put this out on vinyl would send out this message to our listeners: “We don’t’ care about this that much.” “We want to do what’s easy.” “We’re lazy.” “We don’t want to spend money.” I can’t imagine not having a version of this EP that I can touch, feel, listen to, and hand to someone. If you love what you do as much as we do, put your music out for real. It’s not 1987, you don’t’ have to press thousands of copies. Do a limited pressing of 100 to 500 records depending on what you expect to move. Invest in what you spent countless hours creating. Think of your music in the future span of human history. If taken care of and dispersed enough, physical media will survive indefinitely. Don’t depend on streaming services exclusively. They might not always be there.
How do you approach songwriting to channel such raw emotions into your music, and what lyrical themes were you most interested in exploring in those songs?
I didn’t go into it expecting to channel any specific emotional themes. I listened to my instrumental demos and began writing. The images that came together became the lyrics. Each of these 3 songs are about very different things.
How do you shape elements like guitar tone, song structure, and arrangement to achieve Burn Kit’s distinctive sound, and how do those choices influence your band’s sonic identity?
These songs shape themselves as far as tone. Generally speaking, a clean guitar with chorus, sometimes reverb, sometimes delay is our general default and we take it from there. Whether it’s muff, distortion, flanger etc. We have a lot of different tones so far in our small discography. Bass we used to go clean. Then we started using a bass chorus pedal for one song. We loved it so much that it’s here to stay. We use it the whole set and it is quickly becoming a necessary part of our sound. That’s strictly Peter Hook’s fault. I’ve been hooked on the beautiful tone he has for a long time… I have fun with different structures throughout the tunes. There are a good amount of parts that only happen one time. It really depends on the song and the mapping that it calls for. These choices are important because these decisions are the barebones of your identity and what is going to make someone want to listen to you.
Are there specific non-musical influences (e.g., art, literature, personal experiences) that strongly inform your music and visuals?
This is a beautiful question that I’ve never been asked. Yes…..immensely. The connection with the natural world is equally important as any musical influence to the band as far as I’m concerned. Being in the grass, the dirt, the water. Breathing the air. Skies instead of screens. Appreciating the true beauty and the mystery behind it all. I long for a time in my life that is more technologically void and nature-filled. I will get there. I can feel a similar energy from Joshua. He has that original human aura and he’s out there from time to time in nature taking photos that we sometimes use for band imagery for flyers and other visuals. It’s good to share the vision. A specific memory that comes to mind is when Frank and I were on top of a castle in Slovenia overlooking a town and several villages. We were there with a few folks during the evening time. Eventually the sun began to set. Instead of being up there for a few minutes, snapping a few photos, saying “cool” and leaving, we remained up there until the sun was completely down and then some. We listened to some acoustic versions of his favorite songs from Final Fantasy. The beauty in the melody we were hearing perfectly represented what we were seeing from atop the castle. The valley, the sky, the sunset, the villages, the stream. It was a veryhuman experience. The simplicity of just talking and being out in the world’s beauty far surpassed what we would have gotten out of rushing back to our hotel and checking our phones. When you hear our riffs, our melodies…. When you hear Terranean Memoir, Inverness or Don’t Sleep On The World kick in…. this is exactly the feeling we’re talking about. In this moment, melody and the planet’s natural beauty become one. They become inseparable. Many people know exactly what I’m talking about. You’re not alone. I hear it. I feel it. I live it.
How has the Boston music scene there influenced your music, performance style, or band ethos?
Boston is our base, but members are scattered throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire. I live in NH myself, but my home has always been the Boston punk scene. If I’m going to a show, there’s at least a 75% chance it’s in Boston. There’s a lot of lifers in Boston that I’ve been seeing at shows for decades now. There’s more new faces around today than there ever was before, which is great. Whether it’s new people or not, the Boston scene carries a genuine energy and has always been one of my favorite scenes in the country. Growing up going to shows there multiple times per week really shaped my listening and my writing. Trim the fat and put out onlywhat you believe to be your best is the vibe I got. Regularly seeing classics like The Freeze, Jerry’s Kids, Slapshot, DYS and Darkbuster to bands that came after like Mouth Sewn Shut & Boston Strangler has probably shaped my musical taste and how I exist at shows more than I can imagine. If it’s a band I love, I have never been one to be in the shadows and just “watch the show.” If you love the band, you can’t help but lose your mind. This really transcended into Burn Kit as we’re performing. It’s a full energy experience. I’m not there to put you to sleep. I’m there to share energy with you and make every moment of our set worth it for the both of us.
What are Burn Kit’s goals or plans for the rest of 2025?
We have our entire year planned out and whether it’s on or off the road, there’s never a dull moment…Beyond (Fallen Rose), we are putting together a split 7” with our friends Turquoise from Chicago over the summer months, which is already recorded. Following that will be our 2nd EP which we are recording right now. We recorded drums for that days after getting home from the USA tour with the Dead Boys. In August we’re going on an east coast/Midwest tour with The Dwarves. We’re looking very forward to that. I’ve been a fan for most of my life. We did a short run in Hawaii with them earlier this year. Blag Dahlia is the real deal. Then come September we’re meeting up with the Dead Boys again, this time to do the west coast. In all the interim periods between these things we’ll be practicing twice a week, in the studio, filming music videos, learning new songs for future releases. We are looking to put out our first full-length album next year. We started this project just over a year ago at full throttle. We’re keeping in that mode consistently as far as our eyes can see.
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