"Cicadas" (Wild Manes song) – Queen City Sounds and Art

“Cicadas” by Wild Manes is a great example of a song that combines several spare elements to create a deep listening experience. The interlocking guitar melodies are both soothing and gritty as befits the moment in the song. The vocal harmonies are tight and melodious yet flowing with a gentle energy that helps carry the momentum of the song alongside an equally fluid, tuneful bass line that doesn’t serve merely to accent the rhythm as is often the case in a lot of modern indie music. The percussion is minimal but it sets a mood of its own, one of anticipation that resolves in the choruses and by the song’s end. One imagines the entire song conceived of and written for all the parts to complement each other so that even a song that doesn’t bowl you over with volume or melodramatic dynamics can strike you as so vivid and compelling. There are no cheap tropes, no empty sonic calories, not heavy handed sentiments or musical flourishes, it’s simply a song that you can get something new out of with every listen which is rare in pop music at any time. Listen to “Cicadas” on Spotify and connect with New York’s Wild Manes at the links below.