New Audio: Twin Temple Returns with Soulful and Yearning “Haunt Me”

Formed back in 2017, Twin Temple — married couple Alexandra and Zachary James — are an acclaimed Los Angeles-based duo, who specialize in a new sub-genre and style that they’ve dubbed “Satanic Doo Wop,” which blends their practice of Satanism with a sound that’s influenced by The PlattersRoy OrbisonBuddy Holly and the like. 

The Los Angeles-based duo have developed for being one of the contemporary scene’s most talked about crossover acts, earning widespread coverage from media outlets like Rolling StoneNMEBillboardAmerican SongwriterStereogumConsequenceRevolverKerrang!Metal HammerLoudwireSan Francisco ChronicleLos Angeles Times and a long list of others, and for being one of the most provocative acts out there right now. Their uncompromising artistic vision routinely sparks much larger and more serious conversations about artistic freedom, religious freedom, freedom of expression, censorship, the role of controversy in art, and on a broader sense, the wider role of art within the cultural landscape.

Some of y’all, have heard of the duo after Charley Crockett abruptly dropped the band from his shows earlier this month — specifically because of their usage of Satanic imagery. This led to Jack White publicly inviting the band to open for his Los Angeles area show in September. Serendipitously, the duo’s highly-anticipated third album Doomed Lovers will come right on the heels of their latest, and arguably biggest controversy to date.

Slated for an October 9, 2026 release through their own Pentagrammation Records, the Shooter Jennings-produced Doomed Lovers was recorded at Hollywood-based Sunset Sound‘s iconic Studio 3 and marks the acclaimed duo’s boldest chapter to date.

Born from one of the darkest periods of their personal lives, Doomed Lovers is reportedly their most intimate and emotionally revealing work to date. Expanding upon the cinematic scope of the sound that has won them acclaim while remaining rooted in the timeless sound and traditions of early rock ‘n’ roll, the album is their most ambitious and fully realized artistic statement so far. The album continues the band’s commitment to analog recording while expanding upon their sound with lush orchestral arrangements performed by a 37-member orchestra. Yes, 37!

“We poured everything into this new record that we made with Shooter,” says the acclaimed and controversial duo. “We wanted to push ourselves creatively and expand the production further than we have before, drawing inspiration from the lush orchestral productions of Roy Orbison, The Ronettes, and The Shangri-Las, and added in some Countrypolitan flair. We brought in some incredible musicians like Matt Chamberlain and Jay Bellerose, and a 37-piece orchestra. We wanted to make something as beautiful as we possibly could – of course with our dark spin on things.”

The truth is, this album was made during one of the darkest periods of our lives. We had been struggling with grief, health issues, addiction, and depression. But day by day, going into Sunset Sound, making music with incredible people who believed in us, and being surrounded by that creativity slowly brought us back to life. We started smiling and laughing again. I was becoming alive again. It connected us to why we fell in love with music in the first place and became our most personal album yet.”

The album will include the previously released, breathtaking gorgeous, album title track “Doomed Lovers,” and the album’s latest single “Haunt Me.” “Haunt Me” is a decidedly twangy, Wall of Sound-meets-Sun Records-like tune with a subtle node to gospel that should remind the listener that country’s iconic period is heavily indebted to gospel, the blues and a early rock ‘n’ roll. That’s right, think of some of those early Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Chuck Berry albums — but rooted in a confusing, paradoxical mix of dread, jealousy, fear and longing that feels lived-in and deeply experienced.

“‘Haunt Me’ is a gothic love song about fear, obsession, dread and jealousy with nods to classic American gospel, 1960s rock n roll and the blues,” the duo explain. “It romanticizes the terrifying nightmares your lover brings, and the paradox of never wanting them to stop haunting you.”

Earlier this month Alexandra and Zachary James announced a set of headlining shows around their previously announced dates opening for Danzig. Of course, this run of dates includes the previously announced date opening for Jack White. Check out the tour dates below. Click on the ticket link for more information, including tickets.

Tour Dates [Tickets]:

09/09 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater

09/11 – San Antonio, TX @ Boeing Center at Tech Port %
09/12 – Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center %
09/14 – New Orleans, LA @ Fillmore %

09/16 – Oklahoma, OK @ Beer City Music Hall

09/17 – Springfield, MO @ The Regency Live

09/18 – Nashville, TN @ The Pinnacle %

09/20 – Grand Prairie, TX @ Texas Trust Credit Union %

09/22 – Tucson, AZ @ La Rosa

09/23 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Portal

09/24 – Ventura, CA @ Ventura Theatre

09/26 – Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center %

09/28 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren

09/29 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium $

09/30 – San Francisco, CA @ The Castro Theatre

10/02 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst

10/04 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom

10/05 – Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre

10/06 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre

10/08 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
% Danzig

$ Jack White

____

The Joy of Violent Movement is a completely independent and completely D.I.Y. media outlet. Over the course of this site’s 16 year history, I’ve used my fiercely independent stance to cover music with an eclectic and global perspective that a lot of other publications just don’t have — and will likely never have. 

To that end, I could use your support to continue to keep bringing you my unique global perspective on music. There are a number of ways that you can support this work. 

I’ve been told that some people would prefer to make a one-time donation because it’s easy and less of an obligation. So, if you’re able to make a one-time donation, there’s a donation box below.

If you can give more regularly, please feel free to check out my Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement

Anything you can give is very much appreciated. It can and does make a real difference, y’all. 

I know that a lot of folks are struggling to make ends meet in an uncertain and tumultuous economic climate. So there are other, non-financial ways in which you can support this work. 

You can follow me on the following social platforms:

X/Twitter: @yankee32879 and @joyofviolent 

Instagram: @william_ruben_helms

Threads: @william_ruben_helms

Bluesky: @williamrubenhelms.bsky.social

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement

As always, if there are posts that you dig, share them with your friends. The more eyeballs on my work, the better. 


Discover more from The Joy of Violent Movement

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Tagged with: