A Darkwave Rebirth of a Classic: BLVD HVNNY’s Haunting Take on Yazoo’s Winter Kills
A Darkwave Rebirth of a Classic: BLVD HVNNY’s Haunting Take on Yazoo’s Winter Kills
(Photographer Ame Bell)
South African darkwave outfit BLVD HVNNY, led by Cito (WONDERboom), returns with their powerful new single: a brooding, cinematic reimagining of Yazoo’s 1982 classic Winter Kills. Featuring the hauntingly sweet vocals of Bronwyn Leigh Fink and produced by Craigie Dodds, this track swells with gothic intensity, layered synth textures, and orchestral darkness—offering a stirring preview of the band’s forthcoming album IX, out 8 August via Mongrel Records.
The album IX promises a sonic descent—a beautifully fractured mirror of mood and memory. Alongside Winter Kills, it features lyrical collaborations with long-time co-writer Erin Alden (Lilac Sky, Joaquín, Scarface), gothic icon Ashton Nyte of The Awakening (who also lends his voice to She’s One of Us Now), and production by both Matthew Fink and Barry Berk, whose immersive mixing and refined ear leave a distinct mark on every track.
BLVD HVNNY’s earlier single, their brooding take on Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds’ The Weeping Song (featuring Ross Learmonth of Prime Circle), held the #1 spot on Mix 93.8 FM’s SA Top 40 for five consecutive weeks and was crowned Song of the Year.
Visually, BLVD HVNNY’s world is equally evocative. The Joaquín music video, directed by Bradley Devine, won Best Music Video at five international film festivals, while Nocturnes added three more awards to the growing list.
With BLVD HVNNY, Cito invites listeners into exquisitely sculpted darkness—unraveling personal mythologies, chasing echoes through shadowed corridors, and weaving together goth, trip hop, and electronica into something that lingers long after the final note.
