There's a certain kind of melancholy that only appears around the turn of the seasons, when the air is still warm and the light is still gentle, but something beneath has already begun to shift. Six Of Cups, Bare Knees' debut track, exists precisely in that zone.
Doris Begler wrote the music near the end of summer on the Bulgarian seashore, and it appears like a peaceful sigh rather than a debut release. It arrives via Samodiva Society, which was formed jointly with Bulgarian avant-garde group Slicr, and carries the fragile weight of nostalgia.
Begler describes: "Slicr and I are all pretty young (the average age is about 19), which maybe explains why the song keeps circling childhood, memory, and the feeling of wanting to go back while knowing you can’t. The title comes from the Six of Cups tarot card and explores reconnection and trying to be gentle with your past instead of running from it.
"It’s hazy and a little shoegazey, with guitars, vibraphone, a live cello performed by our friend Magi Petrovich and vocals with plenty of reverb. Mostly, it’s a song about letting yourself feel something without explaining it too much."
The tarot reference isn't for show, as the Six of Cups represents recollection, reunion, and love toward the past. The song brilliantly captures the metaphor, evoking regret and sorrow while rejecting the impulse to elevate what has already passed.
ZR