The solo moniker of Adelaide/ Tarndanya-based artist Jesse Cumes, 'bubblegum emo' act Killed By Cupid has manipulated the utter despair and heartbreak of their "first proper breakup" to fuel the creative drive that has propelled their debut EP 'The Sickly Sweet' into existence.
Arising from the ashes of his former band, Memory Castles, earlier this year Cumes directed his artistic energies into a hyper-pop, alt pop-punk fusion galvanised by personal lyrics that bolding wears his bleeding heart on his sleeve.The result of these studio sessions are six tracks that morph from menacingly sweet hyper-pop to angsty lo-fi pop-punk that also flirts with industrial-flavoured boppy rhythms and introspective chill-pop.
It's all smothered in dirge laments, and confronting, bruised and intense lyrics detailing all the emotion mess of the aforementioned romantic breakup.
"This EP is essentially about coming to terms with the end of a relationship and how poorly I handled it at the time," Jesse says.
"The EP covers the highs and lows of mental illness and heartbreak while attempting to move on from toxic relationships.
"Despite the themes behind the EP, I still wanted the sound and aesthetic to be bright, colourful and fun to almost contrast with the more emotive lyrical content."
Ahead of the release of 'The Sickly Sweet' tomorrow (23 September), scenestr is stoked to premiere the EP today. Enjoy.
Here, Jesse shares some thoughts about each track that features on 'The Sickly Sweet' EP.
Magic
'Magic' is a song about post-breakup self-loathing and idealising your ex, essentially documenting the period of spiralling and general lack of self-care that ensued after a breakup which left me temporarily an utter mess.Toxic Waste
'Toxic Waste' is a diss track that's only meant to be taken semi seriously. The lyrics start poking fun outwardly at someone else before turning on myself, focusing on my own flaws and issues.Cotton Candy Boy Toy
'Cotton Candy Boy Toy' is about a love/ hate relationship and the back and forth between those polar opposites.Sugar feat. Jack Cumes
'Sugar' is essentially about cutting certain people and relationships out of your life and not needing a relationship to be fulfilled or your own person.Forget It
'Forget It' is a song about depression. I wrote it at one of the lowest points in my life when I was going through my first proper breakup. I felt almost entirely alone and as though things would never get better; writing was pretty much my only healthy coping mechanism and this song encapsulated how I was feeling at that point in time.GO2BED
This song is about dealing with serious mental illness while missing someone, and the unhealthy coping mechanisms I went through to try and manage on my own before I got proper support and the help I needed.Killed By Cupid launches 'The Sickly Sweet' EP at Enigma Bar (Adelaide) 25 November.
