Emerging from Bloomington, Indiana, comes a project that seems both cinematic and out of this world. Cupid Spell, the dark synthpop duo comprised of Josh Kreuzman (better known in the darkwave scene as Twice Dark) and Mandy Buffington, has arrived with "Look Alike", a single best described as "dreamy" and "haunting". It is a single that layers textures and emotion that are ultimately informed by dream states. Inspired by the surreal world of David Lynch, "Look Alike" creates a space to explore duality and duplicity, along with the shadows we harbor deep inside each other.
"Look Alike" was released in tribute to Lynch and appears in the tenth issue of Lover's Eye Press. In a phrase, "Look Alike" defies existence as simply a song; it creates an atmosphere. While the textures of the moody synth lines and ethereal vocals create an undertow, which is heightened by their eerie sample from Lynch's Number of the Day series, it is ultimately up to the listener to surrender this atmospheric journey to the unconscious mind. You will be propelled through layers of your own identity, embedded. While you are surfing through waves of dislocated sound, you will ask yourself; Is this me?
The aural foundation of the song is a nod to Angelo Badalamenti and Julee Cruise, Lynch's long-time collaborators who provided the unforgettable soundscapes of Twin Peaks. By channeling those darkly dreamy qualities, Cupid Spell strikes a tenuous balance in this piece between nostalgia and originality. The song doesn’t emulate, it reimagines, crafting something so personal, while still invoking its influences.
Born in early 2025, Cupid Spell is a nascent chapter for both artists, but their collaboration feels so natural, so necessary. For Kreuzman, whose signature brooding darkwave soundscapes will be familiar to many, and Buffington, who will likely ground the song in a more layered sensitivity as its producer, Cupid Spell is a joint space to explore love, loss, and mystery. Although “Look Alike” is the artist’s introduction, we only glean that this is the first of many more to come.
With single releases planned through 2025 and into 2026, Cupid Spell is building a distinct body of work to connect their apparent dissociative experiences of real life and dream. For now, "Look Alike" is an arresting debut, a startling yet haunting reminder of the duplexed nature of all of us.