Professor Possessor, ‘Cold Steps’ – Free MP3 Download

This band is the s---. Seriously.  Little is known about the androgynous, self-described 'Garage Wave/ Luxury/ New Romantic' quartet Professor Possessor at this point. Their bio simply states, "Professor Possessor is Hayden Hall, Jacob Summers, Jess Imme, and Scarlet A. Newman-Thomas. We reside in Los Angeles." And when we reached out for comment, Jess Imme replied coyly, "Selenas," which is apparently an inside joke the group shares.

Well, whatever the joke, we want in. Professor Possessor plays a sweet kind of synthy '80s kitsch-pop that would land midway between Duran Duran and Washed Out on a line chart. Madonna and Kenny G factor into that equation, too.

If this track is any indication of the band's debut, 'Strange Paradise,' as a whole, we can't wait to see if the songwriting prowess and production quality hold up throughout. 'Cold Steps' precariously toes the line separating parody and tribute, as male and female vocals trade off over a buzzing bass line, streaking lead and the mega-appropriate hook, "Cold footsteps walk the fire in the jungle desire (mmmm)." In what presumably was a strategic move, the band never actually crosses that line, and it affords them an extremely slick-sounding, clever debut.