Vampire Slumber Party Challenge Casual Racism On New Single “Little Light”

Pop-punk trio Vampire Slumber Party have released their new single, Little Light, that is a heartfelt, upbeat track about experiencing everyday racism. This single follows on from May’s Look Alive, Judy and precedes their forthcoming EP that is expected at the end of the year. Starting out during lockdown as a solo project by London-based musician Yusuf Laher, the band is now a three-piece with Yusuf joined by Pippa (Werecats / Blank Heads) on bass and backing vocals and Charlie Gray (Laserchrist / Kingfisher) on drums.

“Historically, the song is influenced by me being mixed race, growing up as an outsider in a previously all-white, post-Apartheid high school in South Africa. Of course, the school was heavily divided into segregated racial groups, so racism was everywhere and I didn’t fit in with anyone.” (Yusuf Laher)

Yusuf tells us about the relentlessness of casual racism into adulthood, from encounters with police officers to tree surgeons to sales assistants, which are all touched on in Little Light. The track is a reminder that in these instances of casual racism we’re often better off walking away than wasting our energy on these people because our justified reactions might just get us into more trouble than it’s worth. Putting these experiences and unspoken words into song offers catharsis and that’s what Little Light is, a cathartic pop-punk bop.