We enjoyed listening to ‘Doctor! Doctor!’: drenched in soothing and blissful indie energy, the track favours luscious guitar tones, polite drums and Drew Danburry’s evocative lead vocals, incredibly nuanced and meaningful. Hailing from Baltimore (some of us are rewatching The Wire right now, is this a coincidence?), Icarus Phoenix has racked up quite a following in the past few months, and there’s a clear reason for it.
Pairing shoegaze flavourings with post-rock melancholia and folk-like personal lyricism, the group makes music that’s dreamy, yet punchy and raw at times. It’s material that’s perhaps not for everybody, it needs to be digested and understood. Once that happens, the floodgates of fandom are open.
We were particularly hypnotized by Danburry’s emotional and authentic words, which truly convey his passion and deep, long-standing commitment to artistic expression: “I truly love life and am grateful for the experiences I’ve had, but we’re all meant to be forgotten. If someone has a moment with anything I’ve created, I’m both humbled and grateful. To be a part of anyone else’s experience is a huge honor.”
“But sometimes we write our words, sing our songs, and it all feels meaningless. I’ve flown under the radar for so long, I sometimes feel invisible. I know I’m not, deep down. But I struggle with seeing a value in my existence, and I guess that’s what this song is about, as best as I can say”.
Recommended! Discover ‘Doctor! Doctor!’ on Spotify, and look out for Icarus Phoenix’s upcoming album ‘I Should Have Known the Things You Never Said’, out on August 15th.
