Red, orange, yellow, blue splatters decorate the boys of La Vida Boheme at every show, like a rainbow came to their concert and danced so hard it sweat all over them. It’s a signature look for the Venezuelan dance punks, perfectly capturing their exuberant, anarchic, arty-philosophical spirit.

But what if we took the light away? Instead of their usual all-white ensembles, we stripped the boys and painted them black — creating a very different canvas for the color in this exclusive photoshoot. And in the process, revealed a far more somber side to the Best New Band fan favorites. 

The band told us their next album will tackle Venezuela’s oil industry, the black gold that keeps much of the economy afloat. “It’s like deja vu,” said singer Henry D’Arthenay, “It’s crazy that you thought of a concept that matches it.”

Behind-the-scenes photos and interview — see the band get naked and painted!