Sometimes, simple is better. That applies to most aspects of life, but especially music. Nowadays, there seems to be something missing in the “duo garage band” genre, and I’m not sure why that is. You would assume that this type of music would be the easiest to create, only needing two people, however, there is a distinct lack of it. That’s where Cherry Pickles picks up everyone else’s slack. Formed bonding over a love of fuzzy, 60’s garage music, Cherry Pickles’ Priscila B and Mimi B set out with one attitude: “Let’s be bad.” Listening to their song, “Things In The Sky,” tells you all you need to know.
The calm before the storm, a lone guitar drenched in reverb thumps away at single, palm-muted notes. The only thing keeping the beat, the guitar is serving multiple roles as Priscila B, the guitarist and singer of Cherry Pickles, begins recounting a story. However, unlike most other songs, she is not singing her story, but speaking it. Like the guitar, her voice is drenched in reverb and a little echo, giving the song a dreamy quality to it. The story starts with Priscila going back to the beginning, reliving the moments she first saw this man whom she is speaking about, “I heard some stories about you before / This dark, tall stranger.” Continuing her initial observations of the man, she continues, “He used to swing his way to the downtown beaches / But then he wanted to surf the stars.” At first a stranger, Priscila grew close to him after some time, which she then recounts, “We met on a sunny day in the park / And he used to blind me with his charm / We were the perfect couple, holding hands all the time / Taking dancing classes.” Of course, this wouldn’t be a story without a conflict, so, in the final line of the first verse, she states, “Then he had to go and throw it all away on a wave.”
Likening her relationship with this man to surfing, she suggests that he could never stop searching for that perfect “wave,” or woman. The song then changes pace as the guitars get gritty and crank up the gain and the drums begin being hit more aggressively. Priscila begins to sing the hook of the song, furthering her comparison, “There are fish in the sky / But I just don’t know why / You can’t stay here with me.” A simple enough statement, she is playing on the common phrase “There are plenty of fish in the sea,” of course referring to the availability of romantic partners in the world. The song continues into the next verse without reducing its volume as Priscila again begins going through her memories, “Yeah, he was there / Golden hair, and then he came over / And with a stare he crushed my heart.” Seemingly retelling the part of the story from the first verse in a more abridged form, the sentiment is reinforced.
After another hook, we enter the third and final verse of the song. Everything quiets down again, the story coming to a close. Back to speaking, Priscila states, “The dark tall stranger came away / And like a scar, he disappeared.” As easily as he entered her life, he vanished. That being said, she then states, “He was happy, he had pride / But that supernova was too big for anyone to ride / And now I’ll never see my deep-space surfer again.” Although she is sad to see him leave her to continue his chase, she also knows that his chase will get him nowhere. She will never see him again because his chase will never stop. The song gets loud one last time for the final hook, and then it slowly fades out. Similar to the supernova referenced in the final verse, this song comes out of nowhere, explodes with energy, and then leaves. Although the spoken verses take some getting used to, when they finally settle in your ears you will be hooked, there’s no denying that.
