Black Electric
New York dark heavy since 2018 — LarkFest to Magnetic Eye to the lockdown-forged trilogy 'Trewartha', 'Clean', 'Apotrepo'.
Biography
Black Electric arrived playing, not posting. Formed in 2018 in the Albany orbit (Voorheesville, NY), the band was on stage at LarkFest — one of the Northeast's biggest free street festivals — by September 2019, at Pauly's Hotel with High Reeper the next night, and had the self-titled debut out on Magnetic Eye Records that fall. The Obelisk heard it right away: 'a stripped-down, hook-centric debut that's as catchy as it is understated.' The early engine was Vitali (vocals, guitar, bass, electric piano), Mike Langone (vocals), and David Tyo (drums, engineering, production at Tyo Mixes), with a live lineup that put five bodies on stage.
'Utopian Hymns' was tracked at Tyo Mixes across the winter of 2019–20 — nine months into the band's life — and released independently on May 22, 2020, straight into a world that had just shut its doors. The band's answer to the shutdown was not silence; it was volume of work. The lockdowns became the woodshed: writing started on three full records simultaneously — the songs that later became Trewartha, Clean, and Apotrepō, released in 2025 as Alchemy Enhanced.
The patience paid out in public: 'Trewartha' (January 2), 'Clean' (January 16), and 'Apotrepo' (February 13) landed as a six-week, thirty-seven-track salvo to open 2025 on American Record — three albums that had been forged for years and released at network speed. Along the way the band covered 'Iron Gland' for Magnetic Eye's Alice in Chains tribute 'Dirt [Redux].' Black Electric is the dark-heavy proof that the label's future-facing machinery serves songs first.
Era History
- 2018New York dark heavy — Black Electric forms in 2018: Michael Vitali (vocals, guitar, bass, electric piano), Mike Langone (vocals), David Tyo (drums, engineering, production at Tyo Mixes). Live lineup adds George Lipscom, Zack Cohen, Stew Overocker.
- 2019On stage in Albany — September 21, 2019 — LarkFest, Albany NY, one of the Northeast's biggest free street festivals; Pauly's Hotel with High Reeper the following night. Photographed by Kiki Vassilakis — a 62-frame set survives in the estate archive.
- 2019The self-titled debut — Digital August 18; CD/LP via Magnetic Eye Records November 17, 2019 (vinyl MGEY72.1, 2021).
- 2020Utopian Hymns — Tracked at Tyo Mixes Oct 2019–Mar 2020, released independently May 22, 2020 — right as the lockdowns fell.
- 2020Lockdown writing — During the lockdowns, writing begins on three full records at once — the material that becomes 'Trewartha', 'Clean', and 'Apotrepo', released in 2025 as Alchemy Enhanced.
- 2025Three albums in six weeks — 'Trewartha' (Jan 2), 'Clean' (Jan 16), 'Apotrepo' (Feb 13) — 37 tracks, released on American Record, years after the lockdown sessions that forged them.
Canonical Catalog
| Title | Year | Format | First released via | Tracks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Electric | 2019 | LP | Magnetic Eye Records | 8 |
| Utopian Hymns | 2020 | LP | Independent (AMRE-0012, American Record catalog) | 10 |
| Iron Gland (on 'Dirt [Redux]') | 2020 | single | Magnetic Eye Records | 1 |
| Trewartha | 2025 | LP | American Record | 14 |
| Clean | 2025 | LP | American Record | 11 |
| Apotrepo | 2025 | LP | American Record | 12 |
| Aequus | 2025 | LP | American Record | 0 |
Press, On the Record
“Albany heavy blues rockers Black Electric have emerged with a stripped-down, hook-centric debut that's as catchy as it is understated.” The Obelisk · 2019 · Black Electric debut album due on vinyl Nov. 17; streaming now · verified at theobelisk.net
“Bluesy refrains drenched in fuzz and fronted by clean distinctive semi stoned vocal tones.” Desert Psychlist · On the self-titled debut
Notable Appearances & Placements
- LarkFest 2019 — Lark Street, Albany, NY (2019) · September 21, 2019 — verified via The Obelisk's debut-album feature. Shot by Kiki Vassilakis (62-frame set in the estate archive).
- Pauly’s Hotel with High Reeper — Albany, NY (2019) · September 22, 2019 — verified via The Obelisk.
Photography
Contact
LabelAmerican Record Company
Press & Booking Deskdemos@arcx.cc
Streamingpennyhq.com
Store3313rpm.com