Cupid & Psyche
Romanic Music
The dual forces of shadow and light, despair and hope, frustration and catharsis are at play in the music of Cupid & Psyche, the Los Angeles-based indie rock duo of Michael Vidal and Juan Velasquez. First gaining recognition in the late aughts as members of the punk band Abe Vigoda, the two have reunited as collaborators for the first time in a decade. Cathartic jam sessions would result in the emotionally resonant songs that appear on their debut album 'Romantic Music'. Though they pull from a wide array of '80s and '90s influences, Cupid & Psyche bring together these disparate moods and genres through their own esoteric lens on 'Romantic Music' - making for a singular sound that at once feels familiar and alluringly hypnotic. Listeners will detect the gloom of post-punk and goth, the haziness of dream-pop and shoegaze, the bittersweet guitar melodies of second-wave emo, and the manic electronic rhythms of trip-hop and big beat. Comes on orange vinyl.