When Vincent Guerrero had a venue in San Antonio, called Vice Versa, he spent his days organizing, which also meant going through the vinyl collection housed in the space. “Every day, I would get a random record and I would listen to it,” he recalls.
He was struck by the album covers with photos of the musicians, sometimes large bands, all dressed up for the occasion. “At some point in their life, this was their dream,” Guerrero remarks. He’d listen to the music, some of which could not be found on Spotify or YouTube. “It was kind of scary, but kind of beautiful,” he says. “We won’t be here forever, but our music potentially could live for a very, very long time.”
All this inspired Guerrero, who records under the name Night Ritualz. “I always wanted a record, a vinyl,” he says. “That was a dream.”
So, after Vice Versa closed, Guerrero put his efforts into attaining that dream. On March 7, Night Ritualz’s self-titled debut album was released via Metropolis Records on both digital and vinyl formats. Following the album drop, he hit the road. He headed back to San Antonio for the record release shows, then to Austin, where he now lives, and played a string of South by Southwest dates. A West Coast tour, which concludes with Night Ritualz’s first headlining gig in California at The Cathedral in Pomona on April 4, followed.
We met for this video call the morning after Night Ritualz played with Harsh Symmetry at Seattle’s Central Saloon. “It was sunny at noon and then five minutes later, it was pouring rain,” says Guerrero. “I was like, are people going to get scared of the rain, the weather? But, people showed up and it got pretty packed and everybody was super sweet.” Guerrero sold out of the vinyl he had on hand that night.
Guerrero had played in bands before, with previous projects ranging from hardcore to hip-hop to “crazy weird electronic noise stuff.” But, prior to Night Ritualz, he says, he was making music more for the fun of it. “This is what makes me happy. I want to do everything,” Guerrero says. “Night Ritualz is my first true project that I really take serious and want to put something good out.”
And that he did. Although Night Ritualz sits comfortably in the darkwave/post-punk camp, the project also reflects Guerrero’s varied interests. Songs like “Soñar” and “JayBee” convey the sense of melancholy that you might hear in ‘80s alternative bands, like Psychedelic Furs and Echo and the Bunnymen, but “Vida,” which features Vick Vapors, veers towards EBM and “Take Me 2 the Crib” rides an electro-techno vibe.
Hear “Take Me 2 the Crib” by Night Ritualz on the April, 2025 Beatique Mix.
Guerrero also cites The Mars Volta and Deftones frontman Chino Moreno as influences. While he surmises that this comes through more in live performances, you can hear traces of this inspiration on songs like “Cross My Heart” and “Cuando Andas.” The latter of the two songs stems from Guerrero’s time as proprietor of Vice Versa, when he held poetry nights at the venue.
“I would get inspired and excited because people would write stuff and perform,” Guerrero recalls. Ultimately, he too would take to the stage. “I’m hosting, I need to participate. It would be disrespectful if I didn’t,” he explains. “Cuando Andas” was originally written for the poetry night. “It was something that I would recite, like a ritual,” he says.
Throughout the album, Guerrero sings in both English and Spanish. “I love all types of music, but when I sing in Spanish or when I scream in Spanish, I feel like— I don’t know— like my ancestors are speaking to me,” he says. “Especially in the live shows. It’s not even me, it’s like someone else pushing it out and it makes me really happy.”
Guerrero notes that he has often heard people talk about being discouraged from speaking Spanish. “I just embrace it and that’s my way of representing my culture and stuff,” he says. “Especially at shows where no one speaks Spanish, if I have to pick the set list, I’m going to do all my Spanish songs, just ‘cause.”
He adds, “I think it’s real and authentic and kind of vulnerable. You would think that you would want to cater to the crowd, but, nah, I’m going to represent me. I’m going to show them and, hopefully, they remember me and, if they like it enough, they’ll tap in and listen to the music and hear the other stuff.”
For Night Ritualz, Guerrero also played most of the instruments himself and notes that a lack of gear can lead to more creativity. “On a bunch of the songs, I’m not even playing a bass. I’m playing a guitar and I pitch it down to give it a weird kind of sound.”
Even though he now has a bass, Guerrero is still into that “weird, grimy” sound on the record. “It sounds like it’s not supposed to be there,” he says.
This DIY approach works for the musician. “If you wait for something to be perfect, you’re never going to put it out. You’re never going to do anything,” Guerrero says. “In the moment, if you’re inspired, lay it down, put it away, come back, listen to it two days later. You might hate it. You might love it, but at least it’s there. You can build off it.”
Although his first album has only been out for a few weeks, Guerrero already has enough material for two more. “I have to refrain because if I make new stuff, I’m only going to want to play the new stuff, I’m not going to want to play the old stuff,” he says. “So, I’m trying to just enjoy the album and play these songs.”
Get the self-titled debut album from Night Ritualz.
Liz O. is an L.A.-based writer and DJ. Read her recently published work and check out her upcoming gigs or listen to the latest Beatique Mix. Follow on Instagram or Bluesky for more updates.
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