VULVODYNIA have released "Twin Tyrants", a standalone single and video through Unique Leader Records, and with it the first recorded evidence of their new lineup. The track is the South African band's first release featuring vocalist Maya Pobst, the Missouri native who came on board in July after fronting BURIAL PATH.
Pobst put the song's significance in fairly personal terms. "'Twin Tyrants' is special to me, not only because it's the first time I've gotten to collaborate on a track with my new bandmates in VULVODYNIA, but also for its topic and themes," she said. "Ultimately, the track highlights the internal battle of finding a sense of self and determining who you're meant to be. The lyrics were written by my partner and I, switching between a words first and a vocal pattern first sort of approach. Everything else was laid into place through joint effort from everyone until we got the final track that we're sharing with y'all now. I'm so excited for everyone to be able to listen to the new song and for this opportunity to continue making great music with a great group of people."
Releasing a standalone single rather than folding the change into an album cycle is the sensible move here: it puts the new voice in front of the audience on its own terms, without a record's worth of expectation stacked on top of it.
The lineup now reads Maya Pobst on vocals, Lwandile Prusent, Luke Haarhoff and Kris Xenopoulos on guitars, Thomas Hughes on drums and Nate Gilbert on bass. Three guitarists is not a typo, and anyone who has heard the band will understand why.
VULVODYNIA formed in 2014 with one stated purpose: to make the most absurdly heavy music they possibly could while proving they were more than another slam band. That second half has always been the interesting part. From their 2014 debut full-length through to 2024's "Entabeni", they have kept widening the frame — pulling in South African musical texture and songwriting ambition that most of the genre never bothers with — without ever softening the impact. "Twin Tyrants" now opens the next chapter with a different voice at the front.