Cupid Spell is an Indiana-based dark synthpop duo, and a project born from the creative partnership of Josh Kreuzman and Mandy Buffington. Just a few hours ago, the pair unleashed their debut single in the form of Look Alike, a haunting and immersive tune crafted in honor of David Lynch.

Having been fortunate to hear the duo's single before its official release, I knew I had stumbled onto something special. It was a track I couldn't shake, and I really wanted to chat to its creators. Thankfully, Josh and Mandy were more than willing to open up.

Taking us through some of their mutual influences, their thoughts on the current state of the music industry, and which albums they'd take with them to a deserted island, please welcome our new friends Josh and Mandy of Cupid Spell!

Hey Josh and Mandy, thanks so much for hanging out with us today!

Let's start at the very beginning - how did the two of you meet, and when did the chemistry flip from casual to “we need to release this”?

Mandy and I met around 2014 or so, when we worked together at Starbucks in Irvington, Indianapolis. We've talked about working on a project together for some time.

I (Josh) was asked to create this single for issue 10 of Lover's Eye Press in honor of David Lynch's passing. Mandy and I are both huge fans of David Lynch's, so we thought it was the perfect time to start working together. It was kismet.

I've fallen head over heels in love with Look Alike, your dark and synthy new single.

I know the tune was created in honor of David Lynch and even explores some themes from his work, but I'm wondering what it was about his world that felt like the perfect backdrop for your sound?

Mandy and I have always enjoyed Angelo Daniel Badalamenti and Julee Cruise's work, especially in David Lynch's world. We were focused on songs from the original series, Twin Peaks and Fire Walk with Me, the Twin Peaks prequel.

Songs like The Pink Room in Fire Walk With Me and Just You from the original series were of particular interest and influence. Those songs were the template for Look Alike.

I've always had this thought that every musician is part fan, part sponge. Do you know what I mean?

Who shaped your style the most, and who’s been dominating your headphones this year?

I know Mandy loves artists like the metal band Ghost and similar artists (I won't speak too much for her), but for me, my style has been shaped by goth rock, electronic music, darkwave, coldwave, industrial and especially, synth pop music of the 80s and 90s. That's true of the music I created for Cupid Spell so far as well.

As far as my headphones this year, I stumbled on Library music, which is a genre of music (sort of), and in particular, I like the electronic, 80s Library Music. Companies like APM and Bruton have so much good music available, some of which you can stream on Spotify. It's mainly music used for commercials and film, and it kind of sounds like muzak, which I guess is what it is. I love it.

How do you define "musical truth" in your work, and what does staying true to that mean for you as an artist?

Musical truth is having a vision about what I want to create and not calling a song or project complete until I've met that goal to my satisfaction. I don't stop working on something just because I'm tired or ready for the next thing. I like to start what I finish, and finishing means finishing well, not just finishing to get something done.

I try not to complete things for deadlines; I complete them when they're finished, but I happen to be pretty efficient, so I can meet deadlines too.

We’re always intrigued by the different approaches that bands and artists turn to in their creative process or processes.

Can you tell our readers a bit about yours? How do you take an idea and turn it into a complete song?

For Cupid Spell so far, I've written the music, and Mandy the lyrics. Since we're writing synth pop at the moment, we'll probably continue like that for now. Then we both sing equally in a song. No one is a backup singer. We have a bunch of lyric ideas between us, and I will write parts of songs, and when we find lyrics that work, we'll start to turn that sketch into a song.

Mandy is good at sticking to a theme, which is why she's the lyric writer, and I'm fairly savvy with DAWs and hardware, so I get to write the music. We have set practices every week to go over what we have and work on new songs. That process has served us well so far.

What are your thoughts regarding the music industry of today? And, if you could, what changes would you make to it?

It's extremely hard to make it as a musician today. It's just about impossible to get on a label of any size, and even when you do, it's not going to be sufficient to pay the bills. There are pretty big names out there who still have day jobs. It didn't used to be that way. But I don't know what I'd do without new music to stream all the time, so I don't know if I'd trade that for the possibility of making enough money as an artist to live off of.

I'm not very big on work, but I do have a good work ethic. I'm constantly working on new projects - art, music, writing, and DJing. I suppose I would change the need for money to survive if I could change anything. I just hate spending my time working for someone other than myself.

OK, Josh and Mandy - desert island time! You’re allowed to grab 3 albums before being stranded on an island. Which do you go with?

I pulled Mandy in for this one so we could get a complete answer!

If we can overlook the fact that I would be sick of any 3 albums within a week, then these are my 3:

Curses - Next Wave Acid Punx DEUX - There's like 50 songs on that album, and it's a compilation, so you can't go wrong there!

Cause and Effect - Another Minute - One of my absolute favorite synth pop albums.

808 State - Utd. State 90 - A great bleep/techno album.

Mandy's 3 favorites would be:

Ghost - Prequelle

Ethel Cain - Preacher's Daughter

Kate Bush - Hounds of Love

Thanks so much for chatting with us, you two! It's been a real treat getting to know you better!

Before we sign off, what’s next on your creative radar?

The single drops on October 3rd, and we have other songs in the works. We're not quite ready for a live show yet, but we will be soon enough. Thank you for the interview!

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Cupid Spell: “We have always enjoyed Angelo Daniel Badalamenti and Julee Cruise's work, especially in David Lynch's world”

Exzenya: “Society often pushes people into silence about the things they’re ashamed of or afraid to admit, but music breaks that barrier”