As long as a song has a relatively cohesive narrative, I guess you could really call just about anything a “ballad.” Though the term generally invokes images of pre-electric Dylan with a harmonica strapped around his neck, Chicago noise rockers Dendrons aim to subvert expectations on their new single “Tangle” from their forthcoming LP 5-3-8—a track which, contrary to its title, unravels fairly linearly over its extensive runtime of minimal crescendos and diffusions of tension.
“‘Tangle’ is our weirdo take on a ‘ballad,’” the band’s Dane Jarvie explains. “Clocking in at six minutes and 24 seconds, we explore odd meters, catharsis, through all-encompassing noise and textural pastiche, with manic builds. We tried to explore lots of sonic territories. Lyrically, the song brims with double meaning and irony.”
Along with the new track comes an animated visual courtesy of Bobby Markos which matches the song’s enigmatic direction—it’s hard to say where the succession of images is taking you, and if or when you’ll arrive. Check it out below, and pre-order 5-3-8 here.
