Northern Californian singer-songwriter Eric Anders and Southern Californian guitarist-composer Mark O’Bitz, who have been working together for two decades, recently released their alt-Americana EP, Contrapasso. The title of the EP has its provenance in the Latin ‘contra’ and ‘patior,’ which means “suffer the opposite.” In his Inferno and Purgatorio, Dante uses the term to refer to the punishment of souls “by a process either resembling or contrasting with the sin itself.” In the context of the EP, the title takes on both conceptual and political ramifications, forming a commentary on the current status quo in the U.S., where millions are persuaded by a cult of personality. Indeed, “High on Cult Life” explores the psychology of following a magnetic personality, equating it to addiction. Wri...