by Ben Grigg
Minneapolis' Waveless is releasing their video for "Cicadas Sing” off their 2020 release Sugartree. The video depicts a dark, monochromatic world melding the band members together as they flicker in and out of existence, superimposed over a slowly spinning globe of ice marred with stains. The visuals are beautiful and Lynchian at times. The song itself could easily be featured at the end of a Twin Peaks episode. It is ominous and pulsing, flooded with reverb and delay. Calm vocals coerce the listener to relax (or submit), despite the darkness and foreboding.
The band faces the viewer, stoic and emotionless as they play, placid as if looking at a screen. The combined effect is equal parts calm and dread. You want to share in their tranquility, but the cognitive dissonance with the other aural and visual cues hints at something darker, a wrongness hidden from view.
It's a beautiful video, revealing more with repeat viewings. You can preorder the vinyl for Sugartree from Manic Static, or via the Waveless Bandcamp.