Kevin Bronson on November 18th, 2016

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Twin Temple are the band built around the union of Alexandra and Zachary James, who make music for the speakeasy located next the graveyard near the swamp where the sun never breaks through the mist. Their black-dressed take on Gothic soul (Daptone Records meets Nick Cave, someone has suggested) came to fruition slowly; friends since they were teenagers, Alexandra and Zachary moved in and out of each other’s circle over the years while forging ahead with their own projects, Alexandra & the Starlight Band and the Thunderboys, respectively. Then the double-barreled relationship — creative and romantic — took root and the duo, now married, spent over a year writing the songs that would become their debut EP.

That EP was made with engineer/producer Kevin Mills (Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson, Michael Bublé, Prince) at the band’s Starry Eyes studio (previously Dave Cobb’s Studio 1974) and in the studio of Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman (Prince & the Revolution) at Henson Studios. Collaborators on the recordings included Jared Tankel (Budos Band, Charles Bradley) and trumpet player/horn arranger/former Dap-King Todd Simon (Solange Knowles, Kelis, Macy Grey, Janelle Monae). The first single, in fact, is Coleman’s favorite on the EP; “Girl Trouble” is a brassy-in-both-ways story of betrayal, showcasing both Alexandra’s from-down-deep vocals and Zachary’s tasty guitar lead.

||| Stream: “Girl Trouble”

||| Live: Twin Temple plays Dec. 5 at the Bootleg Theater as part of ExSage’s free Monday night residency.