Skip to content
Premieres

This David Lynch Song Sounds a Lot Like That Phosphorescent Song

David Lynch 'Are You Sure'

Well this is strange. Of course, strange is par for the course with David Lynch. The iconoclastic director has released a new song from his forthcoming album The Big Dream and it sounds strikingly familiar. Those high, slightly twanged vocals, the gushy ambient vibes, the mellow tempo, and the searching melodies — its constituent parts taken together, “Are You Sure” bears a strong resemblance to Phosphorescent’s “Song for Zula,” from the Alabama-via-Brooklyn artist’s fantastic March platter Muchacho.

Of course, it also sounds a bit like Flaming Lips circa Soft Bulletin, and also like James’ song for Donna (and Maddy, amirite?) in Twin Peaks, “Just You.” Lynch is a big fan of coincidence, so we hope he won’t mind us pointing this out. And of course, the man’s hazy take on malt-shop rock has been influencing artists for years, and if you believe in time as a static fourth dimension, well, it’s possible that he influenced “Zula” in hindsight. Or something. Either way, how great is it to hear Gordon Cole on the love train again?

And Phosphorescent’s “Song for Zula,” for comparison: