The Prickly Pair – Wilderness (2024)
Drawing together the musical talents of singer-songwriters Irene Greene and Mason Summit, The Prickly Pair delves to the core of intricate themes with rhythmic country-inspired songs. First meeting as students at the USC Thorton School of Music, the pair connected via a class assignment which led to a friendship, romance and contributions to each other’s projects. Given their experience on the music scene as professional solo artists, Greene and Summit are no strangers to the nitty-gritty of creating and sharing music; however, The Prickly Pair brings together the couple’s individuality within a joint melting pot. The US-based band hit our ears in 2022 with their debut single ‘Rosemary’ and ‘The Long Parade’. They once again pique our interest with the latest single ‘Wilderness’.
In 2022, The Prickly Pair used the tragic tale of Rosemary Kennedy as inspiration for their debut song; ‘Wilderness’ once again uses a tragic tale influenced by the life and death of adventurer Chris McCandles (also known as Alexander Supertramp). In 1992, McCandles hitchhiked across North America hoping to live off the land seeking a nomadic lifestyle. Despite being optimistic and hopeful, the story ends when McCandles’s decomposing body was discovered in an abandoned bus which he had used as a shelter. The assumed cause of death is starvation, but this is still uncertain.
With a poetic narrative and endearing lyrics, ‘Wilderness’ follows the theme of McCandles’s life and death with The Prickly Pair’s storytelling skills. The pair explain that ‘Wilderness’ is “thematically related to last year’s ‘Long Gone’ and traces the unnamed subject’s pursuit of isolation as they reject their environment in favour of an unknown and ultimately fatal destination…” Interestingly, and possibly eerily, ‘Wilderness’ was composed as Summit and Greene travelled across the US from Los Angeles to Nashville.
Just as the tragic tale captures our attention and steals our breath, the melody is as enticing. Sophisticated in its composition and production, ‘Wilderness’ elegantly weaves a soothing rhythm of instruments and vocals; however, just as the single is smooth and harmonic, a rugged vulnerability lingers throughout the tune. Summit’s slide guitar adds a country twang to the single backed by Jim Doyle’s drums and percussion. To enhance the tragedy of the adventurer, violinist Luisa Marion adds a sense of classical precision with her fiddle. Sincere, sentimental and warm, Greene’s vocals bring depth to an already complex song.
For more from The Prickly Pair, check out their Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
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