Bobby Uncle has wrestled with his mood swings on Pendulum, an indie pop gem that serves as the Sydney musician’s latest single.
Opening with glittery synths and propulsive electronic flairs, the track is anchored by the warmth of acoustic guitar and upbeat pop rhythms.
While Uncle flits between sounds and styles with finesse, Pendulum is perhaps best described as bedroom pop, brimming with shimmery keys and carried by the intimacy of Uncle’s vocals.
There’s a simplicity to the production that gives Pendulum a personalised feel, as if listeners are right there in the studio humming alongside the singer-songwriter.
The sparse yet commanding beat allows Uncle’s rich vocal performance to shine, which is not to say the production is without its punchier moments.
Like any great indie pop cut, Pendulum seamlessly combines traditional instrumentation — like summery guitar riffs and clicky percussive moments — with electronic elements.
Here, whirring synths accompany Uncle’s voice, which on the chorus becomes distorted with a hazy vocoder flair. Pulling together such eclectic sounds, Uncle coalesces the track around an insatiable, ever-catchy rhythm, and some truly earwormy refrains.
It at once recalls the likes of Uncle’s contemporaries, with traces of everyone from Alfie Templeman to Thomas Headon or an younger Harry Styles.
Those are some pretty big shoes to fill, but Uncle pulls off the feat on account of both the production and his enrapturing voice.
Swerving effortlessly from ascendant melodies to more soulful broods, the singer ensures that his vocals are never outshone by the textured sonics.
Through it all, Uncle remains equally focussed on storytelling, intimately laying bare the toils of mood swings. “Swinging like a pendulum,” he pines on the kind of hook that’s destined to be hummed for days, “let’s swing around for the last time.”
This diaristic lyricism is par for the course for bedroom indie-pop stars, but Uncle brings a level of relatability that makes Pendulum feel wholly unique.
Speaking of the single in a press statement, Uncle said Pendulum is “one of my favourite and most cherished tracks,” and it’s clear to see why. The song is expected to form part of Uncle’s upcoming EP, Coffee, which is set for release in March.
In the meantime, listen to Bobby Uncle’s new single Pendulum below.
