Fort Collins indie poppers People In General find themselves aptly named for the theme of their upcoming single “icicic.” Seeking universality in songwriting is usually a great idea. If lightning strikes and the writer finds a deeply human moment experienced by not just one demographic, but, well, people in general, that sentiment can make for a great tune.
Songwriter Abe Dashnaw cites the inspiration for “icicic” as one such common feeling, the wisdom of hindsight after self-realisation. They tell BandWagon “Do you ever get really worked up over something kinda silly? Then later you take a deep breath and realize all that stress was self imposed? ‘icicic’ hopes to capture that moment of epiphany as a reminder to be kind to yourself during stressful times.”
And the track is kind indeed. Deep breaths of chilled out Fender Rhodes and noodly afro-cuban guitar licks are complemented by bright horn fanfare in the opening section. Dashnaw’s vocal delivery and guitar stye find territory between Real Estate and Dirty Projectors, but the excellent horn section arrangements push the song into the jazz pop category. The full, playful arrangements cruise along, washing us in full-on 1970’s smoothness until the dream is shaken up by a rad, distortion-driven tempo change.
The opening text “I want to know how it feels to be alone” was whimsical and full of passive wonder at the outset, but in the coda, it’s repeated at max volume with the full force of the ensemble’s arsenal: Brass, crashing cymbals, loud guitars and a chorus of voices yelling along with the refrain.
“icicic” is due out tomorrow, June 5 (pre-save the track by clicking here) with a release show from 7pm to 9:30pm at The Lyric Cinema in Fort Collins with Chess at Breakfast. Tickets at lyriccinema.com
