The Bicycats – Long Game

After several excellent full-length albums such as I Love You For Your Mind, How Could You, and Don’t Be Surprised When You See Us Bears, Los Angeles-based artist The Bicycats used the pandemic to take a break from writing and composing music. However, he started writing again at the end of 2021, which resulted in Splendor Within Reason, another outstanding set of ear-appealing songs. Long Game is, as the artist explained, a song about struggling artists who may never find success but still compose music because they can help themselves.

Of course, The Bicycats thought about everything while assembling the entire album, so Long Game is another excellent composition that will appeal to all the fans of indie sound. However, you’ll stumble upon other elements borrowed from genres such as alt-folk, indie folk, singer-songwriter, psych-pop, psych-rock, shoegaze, dream pop, power pop, and classic rock. Psych-pop, psych-rock, and dream pop probably resonate throughout this number the most, while the remainder of these styles serve as more than necessary enhancements, accentuations, decorations, and other details that define some of the best tracks out there. Still, The Bicycats remains loyal to the indie sound from scratch to finish, but you’ll notice how these additional sonic ingredients fit nicely into this fine piece of sonic artistry.

The artist bases an ambiance around a mesmerizing keyboard melody where all the cathartic tones lead the way for the remainder of the orchestrations. It shapes the direction of this song, but let’s not forget calm, soothing chord progressions and vividly hearable, complex low-end tones. Besides perfectly matching together, these two instruments directly support those keyboard leads. You’ll also notice how semi-distorted, not overly simplistic guitar solo spices things up right before the last chorus. Long Game wouldn’t sound this good without moderate rhythmic sequences based upon well-articulated beats, cleverly implemented accentuations, catchy fills, and other percussive acrobatics. Still, the lead vocal harmonies are the centerpiece of this number. You’ll notice how The Bicycats volumed up a vocal channel so it could fit nicely with the remainder of the implemented orchestrations. It’s nearly mindblowing how Long Game bursts with such a unique, psychedelic, cathartic ambiance from beginning to end. Each sonic maneuver showcases how much time and effort The Bicycats has invested into this track. Also, each delivered vocal harmony, chord progression, key melody, bassline, and beat invite you to dive deep into the entire album that, by all means, offers so many listening pleasures. The single and the album are available on all streaming services.