Shadow Puppet Theatre – ‘Mystery Girl’, And ‘John Doe’

Shadow Puppet Theatre hail from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and the four trained musicians somehow found each other and came together to make their raw, yet refined, sounds of alternative rock and pop.

Dzul, the band’s vocalist, met bass player Chip, while at school in the middle of an oil palm estate. The pair later crossed paths with drummer Chris, who’d received formal training at an academy of arts. Later they added guitarist Yazzer into the mix. In 2016 their dreams coalesced, and they released their first single, ‘Insomnified’, as well as their debut EP, ‘Nightvision’. Last year the band released their first full-length album, ‘John Doe’, and we feature two of the tracks from the record today.

Title track and album opener ‘John Doe’ features some very pleasing “wahwah” and a laid back retro sound which could equally feel at home on a cop show soundtrack, and in any city of the world. The video features a live musical performance, and the song touches on discrimination, stereotyping, and a shoutout to the marginalised – whether unknown or intentionally – John Does of the world.

Second single, ‘Mystery Girl’, comes with a video directed by Amen Naqib, and centres around the vocalist wanting to win the love of a faceless girl. We see him walking through a bookstore, while pages of their romance start to unfold in the fairytale section. He’s later seen in a gallery, amongst the sculptures, causing viewers to ask the question, was he himself a mystery?

You can find out more about Shadow Puppet Theatre online on Facebook and Instagram, and download and stream their music online on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, and Deezer.