LISTEN: Casey Desmond & CARV.R Drop Haunting Synthpop Track “Struck”
LISTEN: Casey Desmond & CARV.R Drop Haunting Synthpop Track “Struck”
Dance in the darkness of the duo’s stunning partnership
Casey Desmond CARV.R Struck
Words by: Julia Poholek
Allow yourself to be ushered into the shadows of the latest collaboration from Casey Desmond and CARV.R, the mesmerizing synth-pop single, “Struck.” With piercing vocals and rich sonic production, the song resonates with an electrifying energy that will keep it in your streaming rotation for a long time to come.
Produced by Cristian Carver under his synthpop alias, CARV.R. — Carver is best known as the drummer for Bella Morte and Panic Lift [Metropolis Records], as well as for the electro-alternative band, MAN1K1N. His pairing with Casey Desmond is a divine look at the beauty that happens when two artists, both of whom bring their own arsenal of talents to a project, come together. Desmond, a Boston-based, award-winning musician, has had widespread notoriety in the dance circuit for many years. She has been featured on MTV, was a contestant on NBC’s The Voice, and is a seasoned performer on all fronts.
This is, unequivocally and unmistakably, a dance track. You can easily imagine its thumping beat pouring out of any club you’d walk past as it nears 2am in any city. Immediately, it captures an exciting, deliciously dark energy that is surely best to experience in the veil of night. Desmond’s vocals are crystal-clear, shooting through you with lush notes that end in a fine-tuned vibrato. Gorgeously, these vocals land like shiny dew drops against the heavy foundation of CARV.R’s synth-laden electronic beat.
Coming in as the visual counterpart to the piece and featuring both Desmond and Carver, the music video for “Struck” transports you to a fantastical world by fusing imagery of mythological themes with live-performance shots of the duo. Brace yourself for the experience that is Casey Desmond’s character — an enchanting figure who lures you in with her clear voice and sustained belts. She has all the qualities of a siren — just trade out the fishy tail for a pair of curved antlers, elf ears, and sharp fangs. She is a mysterious creature of the woods, and we see her prowl through the trees as she hunts down the seemingly innocent Carver. It’s reminiscent of a witch hunt, but turns the trope on its head with Desmond’s truly witch-like creature chasing down the human Carver.
As this saga plays out, it is interspersed with flashy shots of the duo performing, complete with vivid, colorful lighting and high-quality shots that showcase both their individuality as artists, but also their musical partnership. The two have an encounter and spar with each other, with Carver ultimately killing the creature and carrying her corpse into a nearby river. But after a moment, we see her rise back out of the water — now looking even more demonic and terrifying than before — clearly out for vengeance. She tracks down Carver once again, and they engage in an epic duel in the river. She overtakes him, and blood gushes from his mouth as he takes his last breaths. Finally, the journey ends as we see both characters sink into the river as she brings him down with her into the black depths of the water.
