Written as part of a School of Song workshop led by songwriter Scott McMicken of long-standing cult favourites Dr. Dog, “Please Be Kind, Rewind” – the new single from Brooklyn-based Skinny Dippers (led by songwriter Ryan Goss) – is an indie folk/rock song with rootsy charm in abundance.
Indeed, the spirit of many of the acts that inspired McMicken’s band are present here too. The Beatles and The Beach Boys blend with more modern influences like Midlake and My Morning Jacket, resulting in a song that is as much indebted to the past as it is to the present.
The prompt that produced the song was centered around using imagery to write a song about someone who’s not a part of your life that you want back, which in turn inspired the “Please Be Kind, Rewind” chorus.
As the artist explains, the song is about “patience and tending to something you love while watching it quietly fall apart. Built around a sprawling metaphor of gardening and growth, the track follows the tension between two people who are both trying and running out of room to try.”
There’s a gorgeous analogue warmth to the recording due – we’re sure – in no small part to the instruments used. For example, it sounds like a now-ubiquitous rubber-bridge acoustic guitar may have been employed here (thanks Aaron Dessner). There’s also some absolutely stunning slide playing; we’re not sure if it comes courtesy of a pedal steel or what, but it’s sublime no matter what utensil produced it.
A potent blend of indie, folk, and dream pop, “Please Be Kind, Rewind” is a spellbinding success. Ryan should be extremely proud of this one. Take a listen to it below.
Written by Kinda Grizzly
