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All Music Guide:
Back Off Cupids was the solo project of prolific San Diego-based indie rocker John "Speedo" Reis, who first surfaced in the short-lived hardcore group Pitchfork before forming both Rocket from the Crypt and Drive Like Jehu, two of the more acclaimed art-punk outfits of the decade. In 1994, Reis began scoring a film titled Drama in the Lunar Womb, but when the picture was shelved he completed the music under the moniker Back Off Cupids, following a handful of singles and compilation appearances with a self-titled LP issued on the Drunken Fish label in early 2000.
Wikipedia:
Back Off Cupids was the name of a solo musical project by the San Diego, California musician John Reis. The project took place in 1994, in between sessions with Reis' bands Drive Like Jehu and Rocket from the Crypt. Rocket from the Crypt horn players Jason Crane and Paul O'Beirne were also involved in the project, though the vast majority of the recording was conducted by Reis. Recording took place with friend and fellow musician Gar Wood in his garage.
The music produced by Back Off Cupids was significantly different from Reis' other musical endeavors. While his previous groups had explored genres such as rock and roll, post punk, and post-hardcore in an aggressive fashion, Back Off Cupids was slower, mostly instrumental, and to a certain degree free-form. It most closely resembles Drive Like Jehu in its complexity and intricate song structures, but lacks the aggression and raspy vocals of that group.
Recording of the Back Off Cupids material was completed in 1994, but with the exception of a few songs that appeared on compilations it remained mostly unreleased for several years. Reis left the material shelved for the most part, occasionally mixing and tweaking the arrangements in between touring and recording with Rocket from the Crypt. In 1999, during a period in which Rocket from the Crypt were not as active, Reis completed mixing the material and released it as an album through Drunken Fish Records under the title Back Off Cupids. Of Reis' many musical endeavors, Back Off Cupids remains the most obscure.
