REVIEW: Bluish's New Single "Standby"

By Ava Mirzadegan

The kind of song you wish you’d been able to blast during your last relationship, “Standby” gives a glimpse of the blissful and emotive music to come from Brooklyn band, Bluish. Frontperson, Iris Garrison-Driscoll, has a knack for writing catchy yet poignant lyrics that convey the depth of their personal experiences. With impeccable cadence, their dreamy voice sifts through their uncertainties. 

"stuck on silly things/ see your eyes/ they're in my mind"

Speaking to an inability to communicate within a relationship and within their own mind, Bluish creates music that is opposingly brilliant and clear in its delivery. This idea of standing by takes on several contrasting meanings within the song: remaining in something despite not being present, waiting, supporting, and not being able to take action when something bad is happening. 

"I'm saying everything stuck inside/ I'm standing by"

The song describes a relational bystander effect, but it's hard to decide who falls victim to the situation. Building and releasing tension with its last lines "Is the line drawn or do I decide?" a question is posed followed by a more open ended "know there's more to you/ is there more to you and I?". It seems like they're willing to continue standing by, yet the closing guitar solo and interlude give a sense of some unresolved tension and a need for catharsis. 

Recommended listening environments: at home, at work, in transit, 2 am in bed while re-reading texts and wondering if you said something wrong, blasted in a car with the windows down, belting along with the lyrics. 

Bluish is currently recording a 6-song EP with Jesse Paller (Baby's ALl Right/Sound Engineer) set to release in early June 2019. If it's anything like their first two singles, they're already my new favorite band.