Reflecting on her own experience of accidently joining a cult, New Jersey creative Torppsbride is an artist carving out her own lane entirely in modern music, and the results are beautifully compelling.
Presenting a dreamy indie rock soundscape and poetic lyrical reflections, Cigarettes and Crucifixes proves instantly alluring for its guitar-led groove and the passionate delicacy of the vocal. It’s a smooth but uplifting composition, and it emerges complete with a gripping set of visuals that boldly interrupt the flow of the song to reground things amidst the darkness and detriment of the story.
Amanda Torppey is Torppsbride, a genre-fusing creative with a fearless approach to creative expression. Cigarettes and Crucifixes is not only unsettling in subject matter, but impressively engaging from a musical and performance perspective.
What grabbed me the most about this track was Amanda’s decision to write from the perspective of the cult leader. It’s interesting, original, and strangely intoxicating. If ever there was a relevant artistic representation of the allure and appeal that cult leaders manage to enchant their followers with, Cigarettes and Crucifixes is the one.
Blending subtle artistic traits from the likes of Kate Bush, TLDP, and the more rockier legends of eras past, Torppsbride ultimately creates a style of her own, intertwining effective and catchy songwriting with clear conceptual originality and lashings of personality. I’m a fan, and I look forward to hearing more.
Find Torppsbride on Instagram & TikTok. Photos by Kate Engel.
