Words: Ruby Corrigan
Warming up for an exciting year filled with live performances and a brand-new EP, Essex based indie – shoegaze band Square Wave have released their new single ‘invincible’, a rebellious anthem that reflects on the highs and lows of youth, especially when it is experienced in restrictive environments.
Written in the height of the pandemic, the title ‘Invincible’ feels almost sarcastic, as the tune uses both music and lyrics to explore that feeling of liminality that was universal in young people during covid. Instead of invincible freedom that all teenagers yearn for we were instead stuck inside, for what we were told wasn’t forever, but in that moment felt like eternity. The chorus’ lyrics really further the saracasm established in the title, as they pose the rhetorical question: ‘is anyone out there, who feels so invincible that when they stumble, they won’t fall’. The layered vocals during the chorus also add a sense of communality, as it feels like this angsty, introspective voice searching in the ether for hope is not from a singular person, but instead shared by youth universally – a generation locked inside.
Permeating this song is a constant sense of unease, a tone that is implemented by massive, distorted guitar and classic shoegaze fuzz, creating a sound akin to 90s grunge like Nirvana, but reinvented for the present day. Near the end of the tune, this distortion spins out of control entirely, transitioning the song from shoegaze to psychedelic rock, listening to it feels as if you are entering some sort of hallucinogenic trip, furthering that feeling of anguish and a lack of confidence that many young people experienced during the pandemic.
If you love music with a purpose, or if you are simply a fan of that 90s grunge movement, then ‘Invincible’ by Square Wave is a song you need on your playlist.
Rockstars HQ 
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