Feb 09, 2023

By Caleb Campbell

Atlanta-based indie outfit Quinn Cicala have been around since 2017, remaining consistently DIY as they have cemented their heady mix of alt country, folk, and Americana, along with the occasional burst of gnarled rock guitars. Fans last heard from the band with their 2022 EP, Arkansas, their first release since their 2019 record Cicala, and today they’re back with another new single, “Spring Street,” premiering early with Under the Radar.

“Spring Street” sees Cicala taking a soaring approach to teenage nostalgia, opening the track with rippling piano arpeggios and wistful lyricism. In these opening moments, Cicala recalls his first joyous moments of adolescent freedom, evoking days spent on the road without cares or responsibility一“Riding down the road on 17 / Never had a moment to myself / Long hair, didn’t care, 19 / What the hell is he even whining about?”

Later, the track truly takes flight with the rollicking chorus, as Cicala laments the constant crushing realities of adulthood一“I remember what I felt / If I could do this for a lifetime / But then the walls caved in / Why’s it so hard / Now that you’re gone?” Here the band ascends into the stratosphere amidst melodies that are equal parts joyful and melancholic, turning the track from a nostalgic daydream into a cathartic cry.

Cicala says of the song, “‘Spring Street’ is about finding a picture of yourself that sends you back. I was a touring musician for several years in my teens & early twenties in a crusty van and thought I had it all figured out – that I’d live like that forever. But priorities change, you gain responsibilities, and you lose friends. All the sudden, it’s not so easy to hop in that van for two weeks.”

Check out the song below, out everywhere tomorrow, February 10th.