Few bands in the ethereal wave and dream pop genres have sparked as much debate over their influences as Love Spirals Downwards. As a flagship act on Projekt Records, the California duo of Ryan Lum and Suzanne Perry blended lush, reverb-drenched guitars with angelic female vocals, a combination that immediately drew comparisons to the Cocteau Twins—arguably the defining act of the genre.

But were Love Spirals Downwards merely imitators, or did they carve out their own space within the dreamlike, atmospheric soundscape they inhabited? The answer is more complex than the simple label of “Cocteau Twins clone.”