Drawing us in with a cerebral guitar riff and metallic drums with textured bells and an intricate alternative rock sound design, YACOVELLI opens Doppelganger with a unique sense of dimensionality – needless to say, we are immediately enthralled.
The opus expands with a a count-in and a grunge-pop adjacent vocal timbre featuring a visceral “yeah” as frontman Alex Yacovelli sings, “I saw myself today, in the face of another…”. The lyricism is metaphorical, mind-bending and introspective, and we love the way the way his voice embodies two characters, in line with the concept of the song.
We learn that Doppelganger is about losing your sense of identity and struggling to recognize who you’ve become. The message explores the inner conflict between the “good” and “evil” parts of oneself, akin to a a split personality.
The band builds on how the word Doppelganger means a double or a mirror image of yourself, made famous by iconic movies like Black Swan, Enemy, The Double and even various episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. In the song, Alex looks in the mirror and doesn’t know if he see himself or a darker version.
It’s about the inner struggle of judging himself and feeling trapped in his own mind. The hook “one of us as to die today…” is perfect for a cerebral horror film like a sequel to fight club, the guitar solos are simply transcendental, showcasing instrumental mastery, and we are obsessed with the minimalist outro as Alex sings, “I saw myself today…”
Fans of Garbage, The Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Weezer, and even Foo Fighters will be able to connect with what YACOVELLI are manifesting with their sound. There is a cinematic and nostalgic elegance to it that feels stadium-ready.
YACOVELLI hails from New York, led by frontman Alex Yacovelli, and Doppelganger is their sophomore single. Alex cites A Clockwork Orange, Chris Cornell, and 90s alt-rock as influences, which we can certainly feel come through in the raw, fierce, and emotive sound.
Naturally, we have added Doppelganger to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlists, whilst we continue to stream YACOVELLI‘s epic debut single, Red Eye, and anticipate future releases from the band!