Suburban Bicycle Gang – Lake Scugog (2023)
Known for their energetic, engaging and rambunctious live shows, Suburban Bicycle Gang is an indie-rock sensation. Making waves on the Ontario scene, and far beyond if you take a gander at their international coverage, the Canada-based threesome captivates hearts, souls and senses with their music. From their first release in 2019, Soft Balls Are Too Hard To Handle, to the 2023 album In The Cosmos, profound lyricism weaves through melodic tunes having us enjoy the melody but also sit back and think.
Taken from their critically acclaimed full-length album In The Cosmos, ‘Lake Scugog’ joins nine other tracks to “blend humour with musical prowess”. The band share that each song on In The Cosmos “invites listeners into a world of off-the-wall creativity, where the unexpected becomes the norm.” Following the opening title track, ‘Lake Scugog’ is a nostalgic melding of folk-rock with hints of psychedelic-rock shimmering through the mist.
A strong drumbeat pulsates through the melody as if it were our own heartbeat in this musical journey. Dynamic guitars glide along in a mind-altering haze; however, as calming and languorous as it may be in the sonic forest, each instrument has a bold toe-tapping force. Keys sliver behind giving a feeling of awe in this fuzzy ambience. For me, however, it is the individual elements that send you reeling but the overall combination tipping you into a kaleidoscopic soundscape.
A distinctive underlying folk-rock sound permeates the album, but each track has a specific tint making In The Cosmos genre diverse. Unlike the jangle-pop-infused ‘Five Flings’ or a leaning toward Americana in ‘Bobo The Hobo’, listening to ‘Lake Scugog’ has you wading through a pool of tingling bright lights. Interestingly, while the melody can intoxicate you (along with tranquil vocals), an intricate intimacy filters through the veiled hush giving you a prompt of “well, what am I feeling…and do I even care?” – all with a big grin on your face.
Find out more about Suburban Bicycle Gang on their official website, Facebook, Twitter and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
