Patrick Doval is a Miami songwriter and recording artist with six albums and a long run of singles behind him, several of them made with drummer Pete Parada, formerly of The Offspring. He thinks in pictures as much as in songs: Doval has made more than twenty-five music videos, and his song "Crush" plays over the end credits of the upcoming film Wounds, directed by Ron Krauss. "Rocket to The Moon," released on September 26 with Parada on drums, is a sci-fi love story, and the video plays it out literally: Doval builds a rocket, flies to the moon, falls for a robot he finds there and tries to bring her back to Earth.

The music marries an in-your-face pop-punk groove with a colder, post-punk sound and delivery. Patrick's vocals unexpectedly reminded me of Robert Smith of The Cure, and the guitar part carries some '80s echoes too, though this time it took me to the more driving parts of R.E.M.'s Peter Buck. The vocals are probably the song's most memorable asset: the raw emotion with which Patrick practically cries out "You're all I need" will keep playing in your head for a long time (and may even haunt your dreams). It sounds all the more striking against the polished look of the music video. And that's the charm of this song: it's a story about a man who flies to the moon for love, sung by someone who sounds like he really would. Strap in and press play.