Today, we’re thrilled to introduce Indiana-based duo Cupid Spell with their debut single ‘Look Alike’. Formed by Josh Kreuzman (Twice Dark) and Mandy Buffington, the project was conceived specifically for Lover’s Eye Press’ tenth issue, a literary journal dedicated to maverick director David Lynch, who passed earlier this year. As such, their first track release is suitably cinematic, with obscure dreamlike textures and hovering shadows that appear in the corner of your sonic vision. It’s the synth-pop embodiment of that uncanny valley feeling, when the familiar transforms into something unsettling, jarring and disorientating.
Inspired by expansive themes of identity and deception, ‘Look Alike’ is led by an eerie vocal performance where the pair’s laissez-faire tones, just as easily merge in harmony as they do crash and collide. Kreuzman and Buffington take on that duality like a pair of mismatched reflections, joined together in a blurry haze. This surreal atmosphere is reminiscent of Twin Peaks, with pulsing synth layers, haunting melodies and trance-like grooves that pull the listeners further into this liminal space where time is momentarily suspended. Mike Bridavsky’s production further contributes to a mood that is both intimate and uneasy.
These effective textures were also inspired by composer Angelo Badalamenti and singer/actor Julee Cruise, who put their own indelible mark on Lynch’s work through the ’80s and ’90s. It’s a shimmering sense of peril that was so indicative of the film-maker’s style and in ‘Look Alike’ every plaintive echo and subtle distortion is a poignant tribute to the late Lynch.
You can listen to ‘Look Alike’ in our Outsiders Club playlist.
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