B-Side Guys

Holding Hour’s “Come Undone” emerges from the cornfields of Des Moines like a dream pop mirage, shimmering with the bittersweet haze of a Midwest summer night. Marissa Kephart and Scott Yoshimura have crafted a track that feels like eavesdropping on someone’s most intimate thoughts, set to a soundtrack of swirling guitars and ethereal synths.

The song’s structure mirrors the fragmented nature of memory and desire. Opening lines like “Golden moonlight drippin’ in / While past keeps creepin’ in” set the stage for a narrative that’s as much about what’s left unsaid as what’s explicitly expressed. It’s the sonic equivalent of flipping through a photo album where half the pictures have been torn out.

Musically, “Come Undone” occupies the space between My Bloody Valentine’s wall of sound and Yo La Tengo’s more introspective moments. Kephart’s vocals float atop the instrumentation like a ghostly presence, at once present and intangible. The production, courtesy of Yoshimura, creates a sense of depth that invites repeated listens, each spin revealing new layers of sonic texture.

Lyrically, the track delves into the thorny territory of self-erasure in the name of love. Lines like “Change my shape to fit with you / Color, line, pattern too” speak to a universal fear of losing oneself in a relationship. The repeated refrain of “Afraid I would come undone” serves as both a warning and a resigned acceptance of inevitable dissolution.

“Come Undone” stands as a powerful statement from Holding Hour, suggesting a band unafraid to explore the darker corners of human connection. In a musical landscape often dominated by surface-level emotions, this track dives deep, inviting listeners to come undone alongside it. It’s a siren song for the introspective, a reminder that sometimes, falling apart is the first step to finding yourself.