On their latest single ‘Doppelganger’, New York’s YACOVELLI trade polish for grit, unspooling a snarling meditation on identity collapse and existential split-screens.
Opening with a dissonant wail that sounds like a warning siren swallowed by static, ‘Doppelganger’ barrels into its main hook with its teeth bared. It’s less about melody and more about emotional impact, like Pixies on a psychotic break or Nirvana filtered through post-pandemic paranoia. “I saw myself today/In the face of another,” Alex Yacovelli sneers, launching us straight into the heart of the crisis: what happens when you’re not sure if the person in the mirror is still you?
The track rides a wave of distortion. Thick guitar layers grind like rusted gears, while the drums pound with a militant precision. There’s a weight here, a claustrophobic push-and-pull that mirrors the song’s theme: the internal struggle between your curated self and the dark, unfiltered version lurking just beneath.
By the final chorus, things erupt. Choir-esque backing vocals clash with crashing cymbals in a finale that veers unexpectedly toward the theatrical. Not just grunge, but apocalyptic glam grunge.
YACOVELLI isn’t here to play nice. With ‘Doppelganger’, they grab you by the collar and drag you through the underbelly of your own psyche. In a time when so much music feels safe, this track dares to feel unstable. And that might be exactly what we need.
