by Alli Rose
Hailing from the D(M)V area, Cuni started as a solo project for Jared Cunanan, vocalist and rhythm guitarist, but has since expanded to include Aaron Millison on lead guitar, Franklin Parada on bass guitar, and Lucas Kirby on drums. In their own words, Cuni is “like if emo got really into new wave and post punk, but had a weird shoegaze phase and was also chronically online.”
Cover art for “didymus.” Photo courtesy of Jared Cunanan.
Cuni is serving an emo banger to mosh to with their upcoming single “didymus,” dropping on January 13, 2023 on all platforms. The track opens with a quick count-off before diving right into hardcore heavy instrumentation. Guitar distortion adds a perfectly imperfect grunginess to the sound, and math-rock riffs prick the ears of music theory nerds without distracting from the song’s driving energy. Lyrics fully embrace emo as they evoke dark imagery with phrases like “untying nooses around my neck.” The swift tempo set by the drums creates a sense of urgency, making the lyrics seem like racing thoughts that haunt the speaker. These thoughts focus on questioning the effectiveness of faith:
“Is it faith or empty hope? Now they say you’re always with me
so why do I still feel the same? If you’re only here to watch,
then what difference does it make?”
The title of the track further reinforces this questioning, with “didymus” referencing the biblical Doubting Thomas, who refused to believe Jesus had been resurrected until he saw the man and his wounds with his own eyes. Jared Cunanan vulnerably expresses his own doubts in the biting single, and expression is what emo is all about. Instead of shooting those doubting thoughts out into the void, yell them to a dancing sweaty crowd, or record them to liven a listener’s commute. That’s what Cuni does.
