What Happens in the Dark feels less like an album and more like a late-night
experience—what headspace were you in when this record came together?
Thank you for saying that! The lyrics for these songs were written over the course of a
fairly long time. One or two dating back years. With the isolation of Covid, and the
general division of the world right now, the emotions that stir up are definitely not always
the most positive. I’ve always found it therapeutic to get all that junk out of my brain by
making it into a song. I love to write all kinds of music, but with this band, I’ve feel like
these lyrics work best when we lean into growling bass, stabbing guitars, primal drums,
and general noise. Feedback is my friend.
The imagery around this release is very specific—Echo Park, Silver Lake, empty
overpasses—how much of that world is autobiographical versus cinematic?
100% autobiographical. All three of us live on the East side of Los Angeles, and there is
definitely something cinematic about these older neighborhoods that still retain some of
their grit. There are just a million stories there to be told.
Where do you see Black Market Heart fitting within the modern post-punk and
dark alternative landscape?
I’ve always been attracted to bands that can grow and change, always adding
something new to the mix, and I love that this record has allowed us to do it. Black
Market Heart is a little too goth to be punk, a little too punk to be alt, etc etc, and that’s
just the way we like it. I want people who are feeling beat down to be able to listen to a
song about the darkness, and know that they aren’t alone. I want someone to listen to
something that has a more 80s dance vibe, and shake their ass. I also want someone
to put on a short burst of punk, and go a little crazy. I guess my hope is that we fit into a
lot of places in the general landscape, and not just one.
Working with Paul Roessler, how did his background in the LA underground
shape the final sound?
Working with Paul was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I’d recorded with him
before in a band where I play bass, and that was amazing, but this was the first time
that I was there to record my songs. Paul is genius. He is an amazing producer, but
he’s also a real musician, and that makes a huge difference. He hears a harmony that a
song needs, and can just sing it for you, or tell you when a guitar solo is just too busy,
etc. It’s an advanced knowledge of music that only comes from years of experience
matched with the amazing ability to get that information across to us in real time.
That line “I don’t have to be alone for a little while” (in the title track)really cuts
through—what’s the emotional core of that song?
That song is about being desperate for human connection. It’s about the decisions we
make (sometimes bad) to just have a night where you don’t feel lonely. That line comes
from putting yourself into a situation you know is not the best long term, but it satisfies
that immediate need to just feel like you aren’t alone in the world.
“Self-Destruct With Me” feels like pure chaos—was that track written from a
specific moment or mindset?
That was the oldest song on the record. I’ve been married twice, and after the divorce
from my first wife, I had about a year of completely out of control behavior. It’s what
happens when you are not bound by anyone or anything, and just run wild. Was it self-
destructive? Sure? Was it fun? Yep? Was it something I wanted to keep up forever?
No way. I played a version of that song when I was in a band called The Wolf Spiders,
but we never recorded it, so I brought it into Black Market, and we made it into the
chaos that it is now.
Tina’s harmonies add a heavier emotional layer—how did that dynamic evolve
within the band?
My old band had played shows with a couple of Tina’s bands in the past, and she was
always cool as hell. She was the guitar player and singer. Years later, I needed a new
bass player, and I reached out to her to see if she knew anyone. She said “me.” I had
no idea she even played bass, but within 2 minutes of playing with her, there was no
doubt she was going to be amazing. Tina is a singer and a songwriter, so having
someone like that in the band is immediately going to make the vocals stronger. Like
me and Shawn, her taste in music is vast, and she’s able to bring the kind of harmonies
you might not find on something so fast and loud, and make it that much more haunting.
We lucked out!
There’s almost a Quentin Tarantino film style feel to the visuals—how much does
film influence your music and storytelling?
Film has a ton of influence on us. Tina and I both work in the film and TV industry, and
we all devour entertainment. Everyone knows how important music is to setting the
mood in a scene, and the songs I write feel like little stories to me. I want our music to
be the soundtrack to the movie in someone’s head when listening. Tina being a
photographer also helps because her ideas for visuals really take things to the next
level.
Your take on “Give Me Power,” originally produced by Lee Perry, is a bold
shift—what made that song fit your world?
I’ve never been fan of doing a cover exactly like the original. I like taking something
vastly different, and really making it something that sounds like us. There’s a wealth of
great late 60s and early 70s Reggae that a lot of people might not know super well, and
one day that one just jumped out at me. Give Me Power is basically like a perfect pop
song. It’s beautifully simple in its structure, and that allowed us to really play with
dropping the guitar in and out, and layering in feedback in different spots.
What do you want listeners to feel the first time they press play on this record?
I hope that they get the full range of emotion that we had while writing and recording.
The frenzied desperation of “What Happens in the Dark,” the escapism via music of
“Radio Smash,” the messy chaos of “Self-Destruct,” and the late night/early morning
Los Angeles darkness of “Coyote.” I’m incredibly proud of this record, and I want as
many people as possible to hear it. Go give it a whirl, and find us on social media to tell
us what it made you feel.
Watch the Video for “What Happens In The Dark”
Key Tracks: What Happens in the Dark (1:40) Radio Smash (2:45) Coyote (3:17) (All FCC Clean)
Genre Tags: Post-Punk, Punk, New Wave, Goth Punk, Noise Pop, Dark Alternative
RIYL: The Jesus and Mary Chain, Joy Division, A Place To Bury Strangers, Hot Snakes, Bauhaus, Gun Club
Los Angeles post-punk trio Black Market Heart return April 14, 2026 with their new full-length, What Happens in the Dark, arriving alongside a new video for the title track. Forged in the pink smog glow of a Southern California sunset and the low hum of the 101 at dusk, the record finds guitarist and vocalist Spencer Robinson and drummer Shawn Medina, both formerly of The Lords of Altamont, joined by bassist and vocalist Tina Brugnoletti, pushing deeper into a sound that feels wired, nocturnal, and slightly unhinged. It isn’t beach postcard LA. It’s downtown after midnight, Echo Park liquor stores buzzing under fluorescent light and Silver Lake sidewalks still radiating heat. Maybe you’re holding it together on the sidewalk outside The Dresden, sunglasses still on at 11pm, a few too many Manhattans deep, cigarettes stacking up in the ashtray. You probably shouldn’t be driving, but you’re merging onto the freeway anyway, windows down, smoke whipping out into the warm air.
Taking cues from the feedback haze of The Jesus and Mary Chain and the cold pulse of Joy Division, Black Market Heart thrive in that tight space between distortion and melody. Tina’s basslines grind and move with purpose, Medina’s drums hit with stripped-down force, and Robinson’s guitar cuts sharp and bright through the fog. It’s music designed for low lights, empty overpasses, and that stretch of road where the city opens up and you can almost pretend you’re alone. Recorded in just two days at Kitten Robot Studios with Los Angeles underground mainstay Paul Roessler, known for his work with The Screamers and 45 Grave, What Happens in the Dark captures the band in a live-wire state. Minimal takes. No studio gloss. Just volume, tape, and instinct. The vocals, often submerged in earlier recordings, are more exposed this time. Brugnoletti’s added harmonies bring a heavier presence, giving the songs weight without sanding down their edge.
The title track, “What Happens in the Dark,” clocks in at a lean 1:40 and sets the tone immediately. It’s a desperate reach for connection, even if it’s temporary, even if it’s imagined. “I don’t have to be alone for a little while,” Robinson sings, his voice cutting clean through the distortion. The accompanying video, shot in Brugnoletti’s 1967 Dodge Coronet, feels like The Cramps dropped into a Tarantino getaway scene with DOA’s Hardcore ’81 blasting on the tape deck. All grit, all forward motion, no looking back. Elsewhere, “Radio Smash” leans into repetition like a mantra unraveling, while “Coyote” prowls with quiet menace, stalking empty streets and streetlight shadows. “Self-Destruct With Me” barrels straight into gasoline-soaked chaos. “Without My Pills” and “My Brain is Poison” strip everything down to exposed nerves, tackling isolation and chemical imbalance without flinching. The album also tips its hat to lineage without getting precious about it. A reworked “Girl Dreams,” originally recorded by Beck with roots in The Carter Family, and a distorted take on The Stingers’ 1971 reggae cut “Give Me Power,” produced by Lee Perry, both get pulled through Black Market Heart’s darker lens. They don’t feel like nostalgia pieces. They feel like transmissions rerouted through cracked amps and midnight air.
Order Black Market Heart’s Music and Merchandise
What Happens in the Dark doesn’t romanticize the night. It lives in it. It’s the sound of someone driving too fast down the 110 with the windows down, city lights smeared across the windshield, knowing full well the sun is coming but not caring yet. It’s headlights slicing through smog, cigarettes burning down to the filter, and a band that knows exactly what kind of night they’re walking into.
For press inquiries, interviews, and review copies, please reach out. -Chad
Black Market Heart Online
