Personality Cult Sounds “Sirens” (premiere)

June 1 sees the arrival of James Clifford’s first EP under the Personality Cult moniker. The track, “Sirens”, gives listeners an ample example of what lies ahead for them. With rich synthesizer layers and vocals that often call to mind Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan, Clifford walks a fine line between the Smiths and Kraftwerk, a collision that was inevitable nearly impossible to predict.

The eerie, lonely vibes that hover between the pulses and enunciations of the song, its creator says, are intentional. “It’s largely about self-estrangement” Clifford notes, “or rather coming into consciousness about such feelings. I guess I’m sort of fascinated with the degree to which one’s social and cultural experiences/surroundings shape one’s sense of self, and how in turn one might act out various social guises that aren’t always in accordance with one’s natural disposition. Obviously I wasn’t consciously thinking about that when I wrote the song, but looking back I think there’s a little bit of that sentiment at play.”