Equal parts solid alternative rock throwback and homage to the psychedelic pop cues of the mid- 60s, the visuals in the video for Bosco’s “Lady Laces” are perhaps as endearing a feature for the release as any of the actual music is, mostly because of how loud and outrageous the colorful melodies are even when presented in a relatively modest video. Much like its source material, this is a visualizer that lives on the outside of the mainstream and pleasurably leads us astray from conventions in the name of spreading an expressiveness becoming increasingly unique to the indie rock community.
Instrumentally, the swing in “Lady Laces” is probably the sexiest component of the track, but it doesn’t negate the influence of the melodic trappings on the front end of the mix at all. Contrarily, I like that the percussion is breaking off as sensuous a piece in this puzzle as any of the harmony-connecting entities in the arrangement are, namely because it’s becoming such a rare sight to see in contemporary pop music. This is a single that lives in two realities at once, and whether you’re calling it old school or not, it’s hard to resist once it’s cooking past the midway point in the track.
Swagger is a theme in this song, but I don’t think that it’s so potent as to make the lyricism in “Lady Laces” sound a little conceited or self-righteous. There’s a touch of vulnerability introduced to the words just through the brutishness of the main melody at the beginning of the track that balances out the cocky vibe of the instrumentation in the background behind the vocal in the latter half, alluding to a multidimensionality I hear less and less of on the pop charts in 2022. This is white-hot and intellectually stimulating, which is quite the combo these days indeed.
“Lady Laces” is yet another quality cut from a well-respected player in Bosco who has been steadily climbing from obscurity to the elite stage in his scene and finally hit a real classic out of the park with the singles he’s been dropping in the past year. He seems to have hit a real turning point as a player, and if we’re breaking down his entire body of work brick by brick, I don’t know that you’ll find a more intriguing cornerstone than you will in “Lady Laces” this December. It’s a personal favorite of mine, and reason enough to have faith in Bosco as 2023 peeks around the corner.
Bosco
That was very kind.