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Vinyl Variety: Daring Goth Pop Duo WINGTIPS Highlight Chicago’s Best Record Stores

With their debut record, Exposure Therapy, dropping August 23rd via Artoffact Records, the goth-pop duo Wingtips join us for the inaugural entry in our Vinyl Vision series to list the band’s favourite record shops in their hometown of Chicago.

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Do you ever have the feeling that the ‘80s did goth pretty well, but it could use darker, modern synths and some 21st-century sensibilities – mainly: less romanticism, a hell of a lot more scathing cynicism, and some references to texting? Well, you’re in luck, my friend, because the Chicago duo of Wingtips are here to save the day. Smashing together cold wave, darkwave, new wave and any other wave you can possibly think of, Vincent Segretario and Hannah Avalon channel a lush, Cure-esque goth vibe and some slick post-punk tendencies to create impeccable, anthemic synth-pop to soothe your neurotic soul.

The group’s full-length debut, Exposure Therapy (pre-order/pre-save here), will drop on August 23rd via Artoffact Records, and the album’s singles, “Here and Now” ( stream on Spotify), and “Deaf Pursuit” and “The Eye That Follows Suit” (videos in the article below), are all out now. As these guys get ready to really pop off, they are also set to embark on a sprawling two-month tour of the US – with a few Canadian appearances – that kicks off a few days after Exposure Therapy’s release.

In anticipation of all the Wingtips glory set to descend on us all, we are pumped to have Vincent join us to help kick off our newest segment with the inaugural entry in our Vinyl Variety series. As a purist of great ‘80s sounds and the inevitable vinyl addiction that spawns in all of us, Vincent is here to list his, and by extension Wingtips’, five favourite record shops in their Windy City hometown.

Finding a reason to hate this song/video is essentially a “Deaf Pursuit.”


01. Gramaphone Records
Address: 2843 North Clark St.
Website: www.gramaphonerecords.com
Phone: +1 (773) 472-3683

– When I officially moved to Chicago after my first year of college, I lived in the Lakeview neighborhood where Gramaphone Records sits. It was a place I would frequently visit on foot, and still make a point to visit almost each time I’m in the area. Gramaphone has one of the best selections of classic alternative vinyl in the city, hands down. The northeast corner of the store has an insane collection of New Beat, Industrial, Hi-NRG, Darkwave, etc…

02. Reckless Records
Address: 1379 North Milwaukee Ave.
Website: www.reckless.com
Phone: +1 (773) 235-3727

– Though this isn’t the original location of the Wicker Park Reckless store, I can say that this is the first place I ever “spent all my money on records.” Reckless has always had one of the biggest and best collections in the city, and I still continue to somehow manage to almost compromise my work checks every time I walk in.

03. No Requests
Address: 3358 North Karlov Ave.
Website: www.norequests.us
Phone: +1 (312) 544-9804

– This store is owned by our friends who also run the Chicago label Feeltrip Records! They’ve supported our band from our very beginning stages, and did the physical release of our first studio EP, Greyarea, in 2016. The store is tiny but has massive heart. Some of the best dance music in all of Chicago can be found here, as well as a slew of local zines, label merch, and more.

Photos of Vincent Segretario and Hannah Avalon walking us through their five Record Store selections:

Vinyl Variety: Daring Goth Pop Duo WINGTIPS Highlight Chicago’s Best Record Stores

04. Bric-A-Brac Records & Collectibles
Address: 3156 West Diversey Ave.
Website: www.bricabracrecords.com
Phone: +1 (773) 654-3915

– This store is truly one of a kind in Chicago. As a massive horror VHS collector, an admirer of esoteric collectables, and an all-around geek in general, this place seems to cater to everything I love. I get the same feeling walking in here that a kid does when walking into a toy store. Because that’s essentially what it is!! Bric-A-Brac is also a Chicago mainstay for all ages, with in-store shows!

05. Laurie’s Planet Of Sound
Address: 4639 North Lincoln Ave.
Website: www.lauriesplanetofsound.com
Phone: +1 (773) 271-3569

– At times you may walk into a record store and find absolutely everything you could ever want. But very seldom do you walk into a record store and feel as though it is speaking to you. That’s how I feel when I’m at Laurie’s Planet of Sound. What I mean by this is that around every corner and down every aisle there is something that in some way matches my personality and weird interests all in one place. Their selection ranges from the best of classic alternative, to world music, to an entire section of weird Halloween Sound Effects LPs! Also one of my favorite video collections in the city!

“The Eye That Follows Suit” is staring right at you. Will you blink?


Wingtips Tour Dates:

Aug 27 – Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge $
Aug 28 – Denver, CO @ Rhinoceropolis
Aug 30 – Boise, ID @ The Shredder
Aug 31 – Seattle, WA @ Belltown Yacht Club
Sep 04 – Vancouver, BC @ The Astoria
Sep 05 – Portland, OR @ The Lovecraft
Sep 06 – Oakland, CA @ The Uptown %
Sep 08 – San Diego, CA @ The Whistle Stop
Sep 10 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Moroccan
Sep 11 – Phoenix, AZ @ Lunchbox
Sep 12 – El Paso, TX @ Rockhouse
Sep 13 – San Antonio, TX @ The Amp Room &
Sep 14 – Austin, TX @ Empire &
Sep 15 – Dallas, TX @ Three Links
Sep 17 – Tulsa, OK @ The Starlite
Sep 18 – Kansas City, MO @ miniBar
Sep 20 – Chicago, IL @ Cold Waves Festival
Sep 26 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit
Sep 28 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Bazaar +
Sep 30 – Richmond, VA @ Banditos +
Oct 02 – Raleigh, NC @ The Wicked Witch +
Oct 05 – Tampa, FL @ Absolution Festival +
Oct 10 – Nashville, TN @ Drkmttr
Oct 11 – Louisville, KY @ Art Sanctuary
Oct 16 – Detroit, MI @ UFO Factory
Oct 17 – Toronto, ON @ The Boat
Oct 19 – Newark, NJ @ QXT’s

# = w/ Silent Servant, Fee Lion
$ = w/ Plack Blague DJ set
% = w/ Ash Code
& = w/ Twin Tribes
+ = w/ Korine

Wingtips’ debut full-length album, Exposure Therapy, drops August 23rd, via Artoffact Records:

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