“Forces Choices” by German indie outfit Ducks! is as playful as the band name suggests. It may very well be a reflection of how Craig Schuftan routes toys and other noisy products in a household through guitar pedals, resulting in unusually unique sounds that stem from far-off familiarity. Lani Bagley adds so much, providing the cascading lead vocals, as well as woodwinds and synths to round off the whoosh the project marks as its own .
Not your average indie sound at all, for the ambient elements it carries never drone off far into the distance and melancholy, but instead stay with you, ever-colorful, much like its cover art. The fabulous orange and purple spectacle reflects the band’s chosen weirdness without ever feeling try-hard. The repeatedly stamped photo of the band offers the uniformity that hits you when you press Play. Then, equal parts calming and chaotic, the controlled delays and tapes then stretch over the track and clash onto themselves without ever losing their center. There’s something alluring about back-and-forth vocals that don’t form from a call and response, but instead tangle each other through informal repeats.
The song is taken from their upcoming EP Backyard Battles, which is sampled from the remains of their Berlin studio, which was fortunately salvaged before being swamped by the city. Striking as it is, this makes the song one of its survivors. Survivors that mingle, that might not “fit” at first, but slow down and speed up to catch as easily as they discard.
Take a listen to “Forces Choices” below.
Written by Charlotte Lacambra
