SAN CISCO- Wild things


San Cisco are to the noughties- (or whatever decade we're calling this now)- what Bis and The Cardigans were to 1996- pop. Indie. Pop. They also remind me a bit of Foster The People for how damn catchy they are. Whatever way you dress it up, they are kids with guitars with sunny melodies and cute arrangements that make two year-olds want to jump around while lambs gaily frolic through the Spring elements and people wave at their neighbours and jauntily say 'why, hello there!' in a plummy accent. Blissfully twee, as much as I sound like I'm taking the piss out of them, I'm not. I live in Horsham, after all- the capital of the 'yummy mummy' where people bake cupcakes, regularly exercise (!!!) and order wine based by flavour instead of price, so it had to rub off on me some time. What's more, it's cold and blooming miserable out and San Ciso bring a bit of fun to the constant days of snow, sleet and shivering under a pitifully flimsy Travelodge duvet. So there.

 

And the quartet's second UK single, 'Wild things' is as simple as it is short. Written in a hotel room between phone interviews, it's apparently about the demons in your head, and, given that the lyrics state 'Stay away from where the wild things play', it certainly is a warning to wide-eyed kiddies everywhere not to succumb to the darker side of life. Wise words then from some so young and an interesting lyrical content for a song that is such a twinkly romp, perhaps even more so for a song that features some whistling (you have to admit that whistling is not something you associate with 'demons'; well, OK, some of you might). And, though I'm usually suspicious of those that whistle, you have to concede that it works really very well for a band who just want to paint a rainbow around the world. Yes, they want to be free of those demons and they want you to be free of yours too. And, dammit, for the less cynical amongst us, San Cisco are the ones to make it happen. With a cool beat, a nice mix of girl/boy/playful and slightly sinister child-like backing vocals, some cheerful synth sounds and a chorus that will see you skipping round like a fool singing it for days after, though it is surprising that Radio 1 and XFM have gone bonkers for these young Ozzys, they are a breath of fresh air at the same time. Or the fresh air will make you vomit. One or the other. If you do like the sound of them, you've just missed them on tour but they've got a new album out in the summer so, before you throw the dummy out of the pram, I'm confident they will return soon enough.

Anna C

Released 11th March, 2013



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