Vague Lanes

Vague Lanes is a San Francisco Bay Area darkwave project built around the stark interplay of bass guitars, driving drum machines, and sparse synth ornamentation. Anchored by founding members Mike Cadoo (Gridlock, Bitcrush) and Badger McInnes (Here We Burn, After the Apex), the group developed a distinctive sound centered on dual bass guitar arrangements that fuse post-punk austerity with modern darkwave atmosphere. Emerging from Alameda's East Bay underground, Vague Lanes first surfaced with their Cassette EP in 2021 before expanding their brooding sonic palette on the 2022 full-length Foundation and Divergence. Their music balances ominous low-end propulsion with shimmering synth accents and melancholic vocals, often juxtaposing shadowy lyrical themes with moments of unexpected levity. In 2025 the project expanded its sonic reach with Divergence and Declaration, featuring contributions from renowned drummer Martin Atkins (Public Image Ltd., Killing Joke, Ministry) on the single "Heptahedron." The release further refined Vague Lanes' blend of darkwave, post-punk, and industrial-tinged textures while maintaining the band's signature bass-driven foundation. Now Cadoo is joined by Rich Williamson (Jack Killed Jill, The Bonstones) on four-string bass, Vague Lanes continues to evolve its low-frequency architecture-expanding the project's layered bass approach while retaining the stark, machine-driven pulse that defines the band's sound.