Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Shine A Light On The Darkness Of The Human Psyche On ‘Frogs’

Melancholic music is something Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds are renowned for, and they have indeed not departed from this in their sweeping new track, ‘Frogs’. The track carries an immense weight - after all, what Bad Seeds track doesn't? - as it explores guilt and redemption, using surrealist natural imagery to evoke brief moments of innocence and hope. 

The twinkling of pianos that ushers in the track, paired with the swoops in pitch and brutality of the lyrics, have a dizzying effect on the listener as the ghostly beauty of the instrumentation gives way to the weight of the lyrical exploration. 

This is seen from the outset, in the biblical allusions of the first lines: “Ushering in the week he knelt down / Crushed his brother's head in with a bone / It's my great privilege / Oh babe, to walk you home,” describing the first murder in the Bible, Cain slaying brother Abel. The powerful couplet steeped in violence and remorse, is seemingly washed away with the recurring motif of “Sunday rain" cleansing away sins and redeeming those who have done so. 

The track is nothing short of an epic, lyrically and musically, with an ascending orchestra, angelic choir, and eerie synths that allow Cave's preacher-like spoken word delivery to stand at the forefront of the track. Moving between the darkest and lightest parts of the human condition, ‘Frogs’ is emotionally heightened and will sit in your mind long after the track is over. 

'Wild God' will be released on 30th August. 

Megan-Louise Burnham

@mgn.lb

Image: ‘Frogs’ Official Single Cover