Suburban Bicycle Gang’s latest cut ‘Wendigo’ is an infinitely compelling piece that plays out like a freak opera. An almost freeform approach to rhythm and a creepy factor that is skyrocketing, alongside guttural and unforgettable vocals, ‘Wendigo’ is something that’s reminiscent of Tom Waits’s madness, and for that, it immediately had my heart.
A Canadian duo based in Cambridge, Ontario, Suburban Bicycle Gang is composed of the joint talents of Jerry Grey and Eric St-Pierre. The duo’s sound has an infectious flow to it, and is bountiful with color, and with heaps of character. ‘Wendigo’ has been set apart by a retro production job that hails back to the driving rock anthems of the late 60s, a la Steppenwolf and Meatloaf, as well as with a composition that’s divided into what sounds like chapters that stumble and bleed into one another in a glorious display of calculated and precise clumsiness.
The scratchy nature of the guitars and their vintage overdrive lend a quite unique undercurrent to the song. The light crunch is reminiscent of countless legendary rhythm guitarists from the time period the song is orchestrated around, with Keith Richard’s tone being the one that jumps to mind most readily.
‘Wendigo’ is an infectious, manic, and fun listen that showcases a duo so deeply in control of their craft and of their sound. Not only do Suburban Bicycle Gang write incredibly tight and compelling riffs and rhythms, they also orchestrate them, convincingly so, according to a time period they have in mind, with results that are still wild, fun, and free.
