Venus Twins’ upcoming EP, Stitching (visualized as /\/\/\/\/), hits the underground punk scene like a needle through fabric—sharp, chaotic, and binding the fragmented pieces of life into something whole. Dropping November 8th on Three One G Records, the Denton-born, Brooklyn-based duo of Matt and Jake Derting channel personal upheaval into their wild art, stitching their raw emotions into a five-track assault that resonates with anyone who’s had to rebuild from the rubble of their own choices.
Matt Derting’s love for sewing became the unlikely metaphor for the EP, as the bassist and vocalist explains.
“Sewing felt like the perfect metaphor for what we were going through,” Matt shared, “fixing our fucked lives.”
After years of relentless touring, personal loss, and battling the grind of New York’s creative underbelly, Stitching serves as a sonic mending of their broken threads. Influenced by the dissonance and intensity of bands like Hella, Machine Girl, and Melt Banana, the EP is an exploration of survival, with each track pulling at the seams of their past.
The DIY ethic runs deep in Venus Twins, a connection forged back in their Texas roots, where they cut their teeth at Denton’s DIY shows. That spirit followed them to Brooklyn, where they found themselves not tied to one specific genre but embraced by the city’s noise and screamo scenes.
With a packed tour schedule that left them exhausted and “working lame jobs” to get by, Matt and Jake wove that burnout into the EP’s chaotic energy, each show a desperate push to prove themselves in the underground circuit.
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Tracks like “God Help Me Bury This Fucking Light” and “I Just Can’t Get Enough!” don’t shy away from the messiness of life. Instead, they force it out into the open, wrapped in jagged bass riffs and relentless percussion.
Our full interview with Venus Twins dives into the chaos and creativity behind Stitching, including stories from the road, their evolving sound in Brooklyn, and what’s next for the duo. Be sure to check it out below for a deeper look into their world.
Thanks a lot for your time! Let’s go back to the early days when this project first came together. Give us a bit more background—who were you in 2018, and how did the project start? What were you doing before, and what’s your musical background?
Venus Twins began while we were miserable in college. We were music majors and loved learning, but hated sitting down in a suit to play, we wanted to fkn rock! Growing up we played guitar and drums on the side of trombone and saxophone in school. Jake was first in the state for trombone in Texas, and uh, I, (Matt) didn’t quite get there but was very passionate about jazz and improvisation.
In college we were going to a lot of DIY shows in Denton, and joined this psych band called Acid Carousel, while doing Venus Twins on the side. We ended up quitting that band and college to move to Brooklyn.
What were those years like before the pandemic hit? What did you manage to accomplish before the world turned upside down?
The DIY spirit was fully alive inside us before the pandemic. This was us fucking around and learning how to be a band. A lot of what we did we failed at, but I will say miraculously some things turned out great. We moved to Brooklyn from Texas in July of 2019, went on our first tour, released an EP, wrote “Eat Your Dogs”, made a ton of friends with like-minded creatives, and then everything got all, well… you know… fucked.
How did you bounce back after the pandemic? What did it look like in your area, and how did it change your artistic activity?
While still living in TX, we started playing shows once again in Denton. Every show seemed to be bangin’. We did a few small tours, and were really inspired by everyone’s excitement around live music.
After we moved back to NY, life got crazy again, inspiring the next project “/\/\/\/\/”.
Where did the inspiration for this release come from? You mentioned influences beyond just music, so I’m curious—what’s the message woven into this project, if there is one? Or is it purely about sonic madness?
The inception of this EP as a piece, rather than a collection of songs, oddly enough came from a Nat King Cole song, “A Handful of Stars”. I think the way this recording paints such a clear image, is something we really aspired to create ourselves.
This release happened by being terribly stressed out, learning from failing and trying to find a balance. Matt’s relationship ended, and a constant work/tour grind was hard to keep up with at times. “/\/\/\/\/”, or “Stitching”, is about fixing our fucked lives. The message we are saying to our past selves is- tour less, make more art, STOP getting back with your ex.
With such a packed tour schedule, you must’ve been exhausted! Tell me more about your intense touring. Where did you play? Share some stories and perspectives—what places did you see, and which underground scenes left the biggest impression on you?
Literally yes! We ended up so exhausted between touring and leaving home mid-writing music and working lame jobs. All of the tours were great though, played mostly DIY shows to and from Texas. Staying with family was great, and we were able to hit our favorite Texas spots Denton, Austin, and San Antonio. DIY shows can be a gamble because there were quite a few where you play to nobody, which suuckkkksssssss.
A highlight DIY space is this punk house in Harrisonburg, VA called Crayola House. RIP. We must have played there like 8 times now. It just shut down after being around for 30 or so years, but it’s a great space, pretty dirty basement, low ceilings where you could probably break your neck if you moshed too hard into it. There’s ripped up insulation dangling from the ceiling, and the nicest people live there. Other highlights are Louisville, NOLA, Denton, Reno and San Antonio. Those places have crazy scenes, we have played with the sickest local bands, and had constant great turnouts every time we roll through.
Speaking of alternative scenes, Brooklyn is definitely a place where you can find almost any style or subgenre you can imagine. So, tell us how your music fits into that scene, and what would you recommend? Any artists or spots on the Brooklyn indie map that you’d highlight from your perspective?
We’ve spent so much time hopping around from scene to scene, making friends and enjoying the art that’s here. So its hard to tie us down into one particular space. There’s always some cool shit happening at TV Eye or Trans Pecos, whether its noise or screamo or just weird prog pop stuff that our friends are playing.
I think mainly our personality as a band has granted us fluidity in these scenes, although we’re best received in the noise or screamo scene here.
Artists that we love – Model/Actriz, YHWH Nailgun, Fantasy of a Broken Heart, Wince, Dallas Cowboys, Shiverboard, Water From Your Eyes, Frost Children, Pons, Lip Critic, Godcaster…. There are so many more! <3
What’s next for you guys? What do you have planned beyond this release? Any upcoming shows or projects we should keep an eye on?
The /\/\/\/\/ EP release show is 11/13 at Trans Pecos, that one is gonna rock. Other than that, we’re playing with the Blood Brothers 12/16 at Warsaw, which is a huge honor for us. We took part in a Mr. Beast video, and a commercial recently, both of those were great experiences.
We’ve been writing and scrapping sooo many songs. I won’t say too much about the future because I like surprises, but we’re making a lot of music on our laptops these days…..
We’re nearing the end of the year, so tell me—what would make your list of the top releases and artists that have impressed you the most this year? Who’s caught your attention and left the biggest mark on you?
Oooh. Let’s see. Anything from Bladee’s “Cold Visions”, Brutus VIII, Lip Critic, Disaster Artist, Frail Body. Anthony Green put out a crazy solo record.
We were playing in Houston, and next door this band CPU Buddha was just tearing it the fuck up. They’re totally amazing and just put out their self-titled EP.
This year has been weird for us. We’ve been making music at such a faster rate, so we’ve been listening and editing that constantly.
Kinda fell off listening to new things but screamo rules and Lil Peep changed our lives lol.
