B-Side Guys

Vancouver’s emotional landscape gets a fresh coat of power chords with Indications’ “antichondriac,” a track that smuggles existential uncertainty into three minutes of crystalline pop-punk confection. Despite being the band’s self-described “poppiest” offering from their latest album, this song carries enough weight in its lyrics to anchor a dozen therapy sessions.

The opening lines “Creation is up, disposition is down/I’m losing myself, by hanging around” establish the internal tug-of-war that defines the track’s emotional territory. It’s the kind of confession that might sound melodramatic in less capable hands, but Indications deliver it with the kind of earnest energy that made emo’s second wave so compelling.

What’s particularly striking about “antichondriac” is how it transforms self-doubt into something approaching a sugar rush. The production polishes every power chord until it gleams, while the rhythm section maintains the kind of urgent momentum usually reserved for last-minute confessions. When they repeat “You’re following me off a cliff,” it sounds less like a warning and more like an invitation to embrace the free fall.

The chorus’s central question – “Why can’t you cling onto something/Any time but now?” – rings out with the kind of clarity that only comes from profound confusion. It’s a paradox wrapped in a hook, the sort of thing you might find yourself humming while having an existential crisis in the grocery store.

Through lines like “Brain is a plight, health is a hoax/Conscience is here, but only as soap,” the band demonstrates their ability to package complex emotional states into digestible metaphors. The imagery is sharp enough to cut through the usual genre clichés, offering something more nuanced than simple angst or rebellion.

The track’s structure mirrors its thematic exploration of indecision, building to moments of certainty before pulling back into questioning. When they sing “Nothing feels good if you can’t regret,” it’s delivered with the kind of conviction that suggests this might be the one true thing they’ve figured out.

“Antichondriac” manages to be both a standout pop song and a legitimate exploration of mental health – no small feat in a genre often criticized for its superficiality. The band has found that sweet spot where catchiness and content enhance rather than compromise each other.

By the time the final chorus hits, Indications have done something remarkable – they’ve created a song about uncertainty that feels absolutely sure of itself. In a musical landscape often divided between pure pop pleasures and serious artistic statements, “antichondriac” suggests we might not have to choose at all.

This might be their poppiest track, but it’s pop music that remembers it has a brain and isn’t afraid to use it. In wrestling with questions of identity and direction, Indications have paradoxically found their own distinct voice in the crowded Vancouver scene.