Black Pixels Long for A Past Love on New Single ‘Tides’

London post-pop quintet Black Pixels released their debut single, 'Hurricane' in January of this year; a sprawling indie-pop excursion that tackles climate change and its impending danger through the visual and metaphoric use of a brewing hurricane.  

The track showcased the group's penchant for tight song structure, direct lyrics, and ambient sonic texturing in their production. 

Their most recent single 'Tides' sees Black Pixels further honing these aforementioned talents showcased on their debut while shifting from a global more external subject matter to a more interpersonal one; looking at longing and desire for someone or a certain time through the visualizations of tides. 

 

The song kicks off with a harrowing synth and bass swell that immediately grabs your attention before a sharp piano cuts through the mix alongside a steady drumbeat, with the opening lyrics, "I see you in the street I see you on the train, I need you / I crawl into your arms and stay out in the rain to feel you". This section utilizes a lot of stops and starts in between ambient swells to build tension before releasing it as the guitar and strings begin to trickle in. These fake-out stops and starts also delineate the two other major sections of the song. 

 

After this we get the chorus "Take me by the hand / Take me to a time when we were together / I've been waiting here wishing I was good for life forever". The second verse goes into to further elucidate the various distinctions in the singer and former partner's communication style in vivid and poetic detail against the sonic backdrop of an even more urgent ambient swell. This one differentiates itself from the last with almost a U2-esque guitar delay and phaser effect. This intensity carries over into the final two choruses as the song ends. 

 

Altogether 'Tides' is a solid post-pop follow-up to an excellent debut from a band with a lot of promise. Fans of acts like The National and The Autumn Film should definitely check out this track. 

 

Kenneth Butcher 

@kazu_kb  

Image: 'Tides' Official Single Cover