Bask in the colourful, sedative qualities of Marigolds' new single “Nerves”

Heading back home after some time away can often be a paradox of emotions. The welcomed familiarity and nostalgia is balanced against an underlying fear of being forgotten, or at least no longer fitting in as time has progressed. Marigolds tackle this array of responses on “Nerves”, framing the concerns and paranoias that are associated with time moving on in a sprightly and plaintive series of guitar textures.

As with most indie/emo music that finds itself in the same territory as Marigolds, such as TTNG and some early Joan of Arc, the complexity behind the playing and calmly introspective vocals act as a kind of sonic sedative. Marigolds invite you to lose yourself in their rich tapestry of sounds, encouraging you to give way to the poignant simplicity to co-vocalist/keyboardist Lydia White’s vocals.

Lyrics such as “Will you still remember me?” and “I’m getting older and it hurts” may read as cliché, but the quiet insecurity of White makes such honest admissions integral to the sense of self-doubt on the single, resulting in a distinct kind of sad beauty emphasised by the colour to Marigolds' playing. Like watching the sun slowly set at the end of a long day, there’s little you can do other than bask in its glow, and let your own nostalgia run wild.

As co-vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Joe Maguire explains, the new single is all about “the pangs of being homesick and missing interactions you used to have - how simple everything used to be.”

He adds however that “Nerves” also "deals with the realisation that situations can change over time, and as people, so do we. It was written from an existential place of worry. I just felt extremely irrelevant and everything that used to define my identity had worn away. I wanted to tackle longing to be remembered and perceived in a certain way, and the realisation that that is such an unhealthy way to live.

From personal experience, if your internal dialogue is shaped around other people having to think of you in a particular light, this can be a pathway to low self-esteem.”