After his previous emo-punk group Memory Castles disbanded, earlier this year Adelaide's Jesse Cumes launched his own solo project Killed by Cupid.
With one checkered Vans sneaker in the pop-punk lane and a Dr Martens boot confidently stomping into hyper-pop territory, Killed by Cupid bolding wears his bleeding heart on his sleeve as his debut single release 'Magic' gut-punches the listener in a hail of heartache and self-destruction feels."'Magic' is a song essentially documenting the period of spiralling and general lack of self-care that ensued after a breakup which left me temporarily an utter mess," Jesse shares.
Who is Killed By Cupid... Is a solo project by me (Jesse Cumes). I started this project at the beginning of this year after my previous band Memory Castles ended. I kind of wanted to go in a similar direction with the pop-punk sound but take everything up a notch in intensity.
I sound like... I think the closest thing I'd compare my sound to is Oliver Tree or Waterparks.
My first gig was... My first Killed By Cupid show was at Enigma Bar featuring NO NO NO NO NO, Nocturnal Animals and Riffwrath.
When did you settle on your artistic name, and was it a unanimous decision... I came up with the name pretty quickly at the start of the project. Despite being a solo act I knew I didn't want to use my own name and always preferred band names even if there's only technically one member.
In the studio I usually... End up rewriting stuff and making changes as I record.
If I could tour with anyone... Definitely Say Anything. I love Max Bemis with all my heart.
Social media is... Anxiety inducing.
My favourite app at the moment is... Spotify to drown out my thoughts with my favourite bands.
To date, my most embarrassing moment was the time... I went too hard jumping around on stage and vomited up red Powerade.
If you'll have me on your bill, all I ask is that the rider contains... Red Powerade.
The most scary scenario I've found myself in, was... That time I vomited up red Powerade and thought it was blood for a second.
What celebrity/ famous person would you love to be spokesperson of the band... Gonna have to double down on the one and only Max Bemis here.
If you had to live in a city abroad, where would you choose and why? LA, because the music scene there is crazy.
Three people you'd like to invite around for a dinner party... Max Bemis (of course), Gerard Way and Neil Gaiman. I would never let them leave, we'd spend eternity discussing comic books and music.
If we were coming over to your place, what would you cook us? As someone with little to no cooking talent, it's gonna be a fresh-hot oven pizza.
When it comes to pets are you a lover or hater of our furry friends? I love all of our furry friends.
No matter the expense, send me a case of... Little Fat Lambs; those things are delicious I don't care what anyone says.
The last time I saw the inside of a gym was... Probably while walking past one on my way home.
What's the one chore you dislike the most? Doing dishes, the absolute worst.
Do you have any phobias... I hate spiders. Spiders are the worst. I once put on a pair of shorts to find a spider on the inside of my pants leg. Needless to say I have never removed my pants faster in my life.
Would you ever partake in a reality show? 'Wipeout', someone put me on 'Wipeout'.
If you could prank any of your friends, who's your target, and how are you bringing them down? I'd prank my brother by wearing a wig to look like him and stealing his identity in town for a night.
Best local takeaway joint for a midnight feed that will leave you with a food coma? Get Sliced on Hindley Street; you can never go wrong with pizza.
Which fictional character best describes your personality? Peter Parker. I definitely relate to the poor Parker luck.
Last show you binge-watched? 'The Boys'. I love how absolutely insane that show gets and its lack of restraint in what it will put on the screen.
Killed By Cupid supports Radix's EP launch at Engima Bar 19 August.
