Premiere: Teri Quinn and the Coyotes’ ‘Grave of Fear’ video is whimsically haunting

Teri Quinn & the Coyotes. // image courtesy the artist

Teri Quinn & the Coyotes have played a slew of shows recently, with their new track, “Grave of Fear,” being an absolute highlight. Described by the band as “a reflection on the waves of sadness, nostalgia and regret which come down on us all, especially in those quiet, solitary moments,” it’s gorgeous and haunting.

Additionally, it sees the band’s dark Americana getting a little bit more rocking, thanks to their embrace of elements of shoegaze, lending the new single a heft while still feeling very much of the band. We’re excited to premiere the video for “Grave of Fear” ahead of the single’s release on Wednesday, June 17. Check it out below, along with our interview with Teri Quinn about the single and video.

The Pitch: With the band’s recent adoption of skeleton costumes onstage and the ghosts in this video–what’s the appeal of leaning into the spooky and gothic to accentuate your music?:

Teri Quinn: The appeal of leaning into the spooky and gothic is because my lyrical content is filled with spooky and gothic undertones. I have always been drawn to the supernatural and as a result, ghosts, demons, skeletons, werewolves and other cryptid beings show up as a natural way to tell my story. Halloween is my favorite holiday. I joke that Halloween for me is a lifestyle and as such-I try to incorporate campy Halloween costumes into our sets. Its also just fun!

The video for “Grave of Fear” feels like it’s simultaneously whimsical and pretty heartbreaking. Who came up with the idea for it and how’d it come together?:

I wrote Grave Of Fear as a way to talk about loneliness and anxiety that washes over us even on good days. Sometimes being alone and trying to have a little ‘me time’ gets soiled by ghosts and demons from our past-grief, PTSD, heartbreak, overwhelm, loneliness, sadness, anxiety. Its hard to enjoy the perfect iced coffee drink on a beautiful day in the park when it feels like ‘ghosts’ are haunting our hearts.

I had the video concept idea brewing in my brain for years and I knew my dear darkly whimsical friend Eva Louis Hall should play the protagonist. I wanted to document an ‘afternoon in the life of’ someone experiencing heartbreak while trying to have a lovely day. Our protagonist starts out joyful but these pesky ghosts seem to bully her and ruin every good moment she tries to have. From the beginning I always felt River Market was where this video should take place. This choice was personal because River Market is where I go to have some ‘me time’ to drink coffee, wander, and clear my head.

The video came together on the coldest day in November 2025 and was shot on four iPhones with the idea that we would have a vertical video and a horizontal video for different platforms. Landon Hambright played the tall ghost and Kathleen Flaccomio was the spritely ghost. I asked my friend Casey Reyner to help direct while myself, Jeff Preuss, Derek Donovan, and Austin Glassco operated the iPhones. I edited all the shots together and Molly Murphy put the final touches on with color.

How has this song changed as it’s been worked on? There are so many live versions online, it feels like it’s sonically versatile:

The bones of “Grave Of Fear” is my driving banjo picked rhythm which is what makes this tune so versatile in different settings. How I play it never changes but who I am playing with and where we are playing at gives it a different flavor each time. The current iteration of my band leans into hints of psychedelic, and dub with the interplay between Landon Hambright’s guitar work, Carly Atwood’s tasteful bass, and John Goss’s grooves on drums.

Does “Grave of Fear” exist on its own, or did you record it with a bigger project in mind?

Grave Of Fear exists on its own as a single. Right now, my band is focused on recording and releasing stand-alone tunes in order to get more music out. We are working on bigger projects but those take time so we are are releasing bite sized songs to keep peoples appetite wet for when we do release our bigger projects.

Who all played on this and where did you record it?

I have an incredible band and team that helped this tune come together. Band includes: John Goss on drums, Landon Hambright on guitar, Carly Atwood on bass, and myself on vocals and banjo. This tune was recorded at Element Recording Studios and produced by our dear friend and incredible musician Chase Horseman who contributed backing vocals and piano. The song was mastered by Justin at Mystery Room Mastering.