Brianna Kamienski
Image Credit: Alejandro Lomeli
It’s late 2021 in Los Angeles when lifelong friends Kevin Moreno and Francisco Saenz decide to launch something new, something raw and real. That’s how DECEITS was born. Their name pays homage to an obscure track by The Wild Flowers, signaling their knack for the unconventional and the genuine. In no time, they’ve cultivated a devoted following in the goth, post-punk, and alternative underground, thanks no doubt to the high quality and genuine love behind their sound. The current lineup features Kevin “Puppy” Moreno (vocals, bass, keyboards), Francisco Saenz (percussion), and Skylar Francise (guitar).
DECEITS is injecting new life into post-punk with a colorful and invigorating Chicano twist that is easier to experience than it is to explain. The trio draws inspiration from a mix of legends like the UK’s The Cure and Mexico’s own Caifanes but isn’t afraid to explore beyond the goth realm, crafting a sound that’s distinctly their own. In their own words, “Too romantic for the punks, too fierce for the goths. We play passionate post-punk.”
Image Credit: Alejandro Lomeli
In 2023, DECEITS brought us their debut album, “If There’s No Heaven…”, which led to them launching a tour across the U.S., headlining a night at the El Rey Theater, and even snagging an invitation to perform at 2025’s Cruel World Fest. They recently played a sold-out show at Genghis Cohen and are set to headline The Glass House in Pomona on July 18 before heading to Chicago for the Cold Waves Festival on September 28. They also made their European debut at Germany’s Wave-Gotik-Treffen on June 8.
Fast-forward to today: the band is ready to dive back into the studio, and we’re now looking at their first single release of the year “All We Are (Are Memories),” a bittersweet opus that explores feelings of being tossed alone and hurt, lost in a world that’s turned upside down. The song also features a music video, and several remixes by artists such as 60 Juno, Vacíos Cuerpos, Casket Cassette, and Give My Remains To Broadway are already in the works.
Singer Kevin Moreno put the song together in a bout of insomnia where frustration and anxiety tried to get the better of him, pushing him to call it quits on the band. He never did, and now we’re sitting on this amazing new song that draws from the gothic writing of Poe and the apocalyptic dark-fantasy lore of video games like Dark Souls and Elden Ring to delve into the paradox of memories, those bittersweet remnants that linger, reminding us of what was while highlighting the void that remains.
“All We Are (Are Memories)” ponders a fundamentally cold and challenging aspect of our existence: we are stitched together by the fragments of those we’ve loved and lost, the things we’ve mourned and cheered. It’s a poignant dance between hope and despair, where memories become both sanctuary and prison, a delicate balance between holding on and letting go, and finding beauty in the pain that remains. What a powerful track.