B-Side Guys

In his debut single “Singapore, MI,” Bryan Freedman’s project Saint Wilson resurrects a forgotten American tragedy with archaeological precision and emotional resonance. Released April 1st, this ambitious first offering unearths the compelling history of its namesake—a Michigan lumber town that vanished beneath Lake Michigan’s dunes after being stripped of its protective forests to rebuild post-fire Chicago.

What immediately captivates is how Freedman transforms historical research into visceral storytelling. The track opens with spectral imagery of “forests of our youth” that once “stretched a hundred miles long,” establishing both setting and impending loss. As the narrative unfolds through glimpses of “skyscrapers falling down” and pragmatists who “float away to the lake,” Freedman crafts a potent metaphor for exploitative capitalism that resonates powerfully in our climate-threatened present.

The production masterfully mirrors this thematic duality—incorporating found sounds of chainsaws and endangered bird calls that serve both aesthetic and narrative functions. The delicate interplay between acoustic intimacy and wall-of-sound electric passages creates a sonic landscape as shifting as the dunes that consumed the town. The promised “drop-ins” at two minutes and 4:10 deliver particularly affecting moments where instrumentation suddenly recedes before rebuilding with greater intensity.

Freedman finds his most poignant imagery in the town’s folklore—a resident who refused evacuation, moving to higher floors as sand consumed his home. The lyrical perspective shifts to this holdout with lines that capture both defiance and resignation: “Can’t leave the house/The end is getting near/Climbing higher and higher.” This narrative choice personalizes the environmental catastrophe, transforming historical footnote into human tragedy.

The New York-based artist (with Pennsylvania roots) reveals influences ranging from Death Cab for Cutie to Sufjan Stevens, but “Singapore, MI” isn’t derivative—it’s conversational, adding a distinctive voice to indie rock’s tradition of place-based storytelling. The track’s closing refrain of “Take us back to the sea” carries biblical weight, suggesting both judgment and return to natural order.

As the first in a planned series of singles throughout 2025, “Singapore, MI” introduces an artist who merges intellectual curiosity with emotional intelligence. By excavating this buried Michigan town, Saint Wilson uncovers universal truths about our relationship to place, power, and the inexorable forces—both natural and man-made—that shape our world.