SAM004 // ‘All Alone With My Clone’ by Libel

When assembling the new 6-song EP, All Alone With My Clone, Gavin Dunaway (the title is a joke about his daughter’s haunting resemblance and also a comment on personal duality) decided to indulge in a musical passion that had yet to appear in the Libel repertoire: classic dark synth pop along the lines of Gary Numan and early Nine Inch Nails.

The result: AAWMC would not sound out-of-place on the new wave hour of an ‘80s college radio station, yet is most definitely a product of its time. The EP builds on the synth atmospherics of the more groove-focused full-length Comfort in the Noise (2016), but revisits the darker shades and pounding rhythms of Music for Commercials (2013).

Electronic elements complement Gavin and Justin’s winding guitar lines on the dynamic “Say What You Like,” while Julie’s slinky bass lines sit comfortably atop the 4-on-the-floor stomp of “The Shallows.” The post-punk disco beat of “In the Abstract” accentuates timely political lyrics, while epic closer “Come + Go” nose- dives into a psychedelic freakout in its haunting middle section.

Engineered and mixed by Gavin, All Alone With My Clone shows a promising new direction for the longstanding project—the beginning of a bold new era as Libel plans to release more material in the near future.