“Cecil” is the Theme Song to Your Alien Abduction.
“Cecil”, the latest track from the Canadian electro-fantasy duo Cute Whore (@callcutewhore) fronted by Lux Stone and Babe Laurent, will eat you alive. Heavy bass, maddening and playful, grinds against transcendental synth that wouldn’t feel out of place on the soundtrack of The Fifth Element (1997)— the duo’s vocalizations begin as cloying, serpentine whispers leaving the listener feeling a bit like prey— caught up in something beyond an easy explanation.
If you’re familiar with the lore, you already know that Cute Whore is no stranger to high production value, early tracks like “70’s Porno Music” and “White Icing” were imbued with burning charisma, but their freshest foray into the haunted-electro-pop genre is an elevation of the form. Electric guitar riffs are woven through the track with a deft hand, the song’s production— a nearly-seven minute marvel crafted by Quinn Scriven (@virtue.terminal)— walks with you side by side into the shadow realm.
The song echoes the haunted nature of its namesake: the Cecil Hotel, A Los Angeles establishment that has been plagued by strange happenings since its opening in 1924— a near-century spanning string of unexplained disappearances and gruesome deaths. It has undoubtedly earned its place in the pop culture zeitgeist via a reputation of mystery and inexplicable darkness, the name alone enough to elicit fear in anyone familiar with its history.
“God is with you always—get into the elevator and ride it down..” • “Cecil” written by Cute Whore, produced by Quinn Scriven, & mastered by Raf Wilcot.
The narrative is dark, in tone and flavor, and self-assured in its madness. As the distortion increases, and the track comes to a close, we’re left in a flattened cornfield, gasping in the wake of a vivid dream we pray will be recurring. As we wait with baited breath for the pair to release their EP at the end of winter, we’ll be playing “Cecil” on repeat and so should you.
Listen to it here.
Ciggy Spencer is a 22-year old writer, patron saint of pop culture, and editor-in-chief at Delude Magazine. You can find her at @obeliskfairy.