Oh No, Oh Boy
Typically, the songs of British Columbia's Shapes and Sizes fit into the spare and slow-building indie rock mold. And while this one begins the same way-- with Rory Seydel's brittle voice about to snap over slow strums-- it quickly snowballs into something far more massive and surging. After the plaintive intro and a sugary refrain about breaking through ice, the song drops off into a fluttering guitar phrase that's as soft and mesmerizing as falling snow. One by one, additional elements start to stick: Caila Thompson-Hannant's chilly vocals, a tinny organ, and an ominous bass line that builds from a few punctuated beats to a blackout.
As the climactic finale chugs along, Seydel sheds any pretense about emoting, singing: "The rise and fall of everything I've ever known to be true, it happened right beside me, it happened right in front of me." That overblown sentiment would sound forced into your standard indie rock package, but, for these recent Asthmatic Kitty signees, it clicks.
As the climactic finale chugs along, Seydel sheds any pretense about emoting, singing: "The rise and fall of everything I've ever known to be true, it happened right beside me, it happened right in front of me." That overblown sentiment would sound forced into your standard indie rock package, but, for these recent Asthmatic Kitty signees, it clicks.