B-Side Guys

Pittsburgh’s Essential Machine have discovered something counterintuitive: that the act of waiting might be the most active response to a world that demands constant motion. “Waiting” functions as both meditation and mantra, transforming the typically passive experience of suspension into something approaching philosophy, where patience becomes a form of resistance rather than resignation.

The track operates on the principle that repetition can reveal rather than obscure meaning. Essential Machine’s approach to the central refrain—”It’s a good time to be waiting”—treats the phrase like a koan, each iteration shifting its emotional weight slightly until the words begin to feel both absurd and profound. The band understands that sometimes the most radical thing you can do is refuse to participate in urgency.

Their indie rock framework provides structure without imposing judgment, creating space where temporal anxiety can exist without demanding immediate resolution. The production choices reflect an understanding that waiting isn’t empty time—it’s active engagement with uncertainty, a conscious choice to inhabit the present rather than escape toward an imagined future.

What makes “Waiting” particularly compelling is its acknowledgment that this suspension exists within a larger temporal framework where “time always fucking wins.” Essential Machine doesn’t offer false comfort or easy solutions; instead, they suggest that finding the right time to wait might be its own form of victory. The track’s repetitive structure mirrors the cyclical nature of waiting itself—not progression toward resolution but deepening into acceptance.

The result feels like discovering that the thing you thought was keeping you stuck might actually be keeping you sane. Essential Machine have created an anthem for anyone who’s ever realized that sometimes the most productive thing you can do is absolutely nothing.