Alone at Parties - “Oranges & Apples”
“Oranges & Apples” is the latest single from Alone at Parties and it is a wonderful slice of reflective indie. The song begins with only acoustic guitar and a brief foley sample of what seems to be birds singing. This sets the mood wonderfully, making the listener think of an early morning during summer. The melody starts to float along leisurely. “Oranges & Apples” is a joyful love song which seems to have a subtle melancholic feel to it. The bass line and percussion are coupled well, with the jangly guitar padding out the vocal. Synths continue to develop the uplifting feel to the carefree melody. These synths excellently allow the song to advance into a much larger beast than its acoustic beginning. The lyrics artfully convey the inevitable dullness that exists in every relationship, and the song celebrates this and even gives it a joyful quality. The singer's easy-going, casual delivery wonderfully matches the musical feel in its faultless delivery. “Oranges and Apples” builds smoothly to its cathartic conclusion, only stopping for some very nice dynamic breaks. I also like the elongated end of guitar notes, bringing the song to its conclusion.
Alone at Parties says: “We wrote the song as a means to talk about shared boredom — that unavoidable part of every relationship. We wanted to turn this seemingly mundane aspect of personal life into something to take pleasure in. It was inspired by clumsy conversations I was having with my partner over the phone during long walks home. We both did our best to keep the conversation going but when days are mostly the same there's sometimes not much to talk about. And yeah, if we're silent is it really that wrong?”
And for those of you who were hoping there was a video, there’s a video!