“Will He Ride (My Bike)” is a captivating piece of songwriting from Swedish/American songwriter and animator Grimson, released as part of an experimental animated documentary. Reflective vocals and guitar carry initially, with percussive additions and electric guitar past the 30-second mark adding vibrancy. “The wheels when they were apart,” Grimson sings into a delectably twangy series of guitars. The lyrical references to bicyles and biking is “a metaphor for rebuilding and moving in parallel – sharing an experience,” per the artist. Following, as the more acoustic-fronted verses appear, Grimson’s vocals mesh harmoniously with backing vocal effects. There’s a nostalgic quality throughout, enjoyably recalling Elephant 6 acts with a psych-pop glow and rock fervor.
Grimson goes into detail about the track below:
“‘Will He Ride (My Bike)’ is a song and true story that won Best Original Song in the LA Indie Short Fest, as part of an experimental animated documentary I made about rekindling my relationship with my estranged father (who happened to be living in Berlin). I used the bicycle, and act of riding bikes through Berlin with my dad, as a metaphor for rebuilding and moving in parallel – sharing an experience. It all centers around the question of whether or not the time and effort we committed to each other in this short period of six months would sustain after my semester abroad was over – or more simple put, if he would ride my bike when I was no longer there to use it. I couldn’t bear to show him this song until I finished the film, since it deals with issues of alcohol abuse and growing up without a father, but the process of writing the song and making the film brought us closer than I could have imagined, especially when I got to show him the finished product.”
—
“Will He Ride (My Bike)” and other memorable tracks from this month can also be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of April 2021’ Spotify playlist.
The track is also featured in the genre-based, best-of Spotify compilation Emerging Indie Rock.
