Longtime local darkwave artist Curse Mackey channels the energy of the Red River Cultural District in the video for “Vertigo Ego,” the first single from his upcoming album Imaginary Enemies.
The trippy visual, directed by Fuck Money vocalist TaSzlin Trébuchet, splices together performance footage from venues like Elysium, Mohawk, Cheer Up Charlies, and 13th Floor with shots of Mackey mean mugging and toying with a white face mask. “What monsters come after you when you are alone in the dark?” Mackey speak-sings, over bubbling synths – you know, usual goth stuff.
“I pretty much grew up on Red River,” Mackey says. “I’ve been going to shows there since I was a teenager. It felt meaningful to bring that spirit into the first visual for Imaginary Enemies.”
The music lifer – who’s played in a range of industrial acts including Pigface, Evil Mothers, and My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult and satin with Bauhaus back in 2019 – releases his third solo album via Negative Gain Productions on July 25. He plays 13th Floor with Deep Cross, Glass Shadows, and DJ Lorraine Von Strange on June 20.
This article appears in June 6 • 2025.
