1 week Ago By Mike Usinger
1 of 2 2 of 2 Get the best of Vancouver in your inbox, every Tuesday and Thursday. Sign up for our free newsletter . Because impossibly lovely doesn’t quite do “Wish I Was in Bed” justice, let’s instead go with something a little more evocative like mind-bendingly beautiful.
You know how some days getting out of bed can be hard? While it’s entirely possible that Kylie V can relate, they are more importantly here to help. The video for “Wish I Was in Bed” positions the singer-songwriter as a double threat. On the music side of things, you get a lethal strain of throwback indie-pop that mixes bright-eyed resignation with an adorably world-weary optimism, the guitars acoustic and comforting one minute, and jagged-edge thrilling the next.
Want words of wisdom that suggest Kylvie V is wise beyond their years? “Wish I Was in Bed” is full of them, including: “Oh, I don’t know why memories make me cry/It’s not like they change with time” and: “When I remember last year’s like a blur/But I remember that it hurt/And I say, ‘Well, at least I learned.’” Ultimately, Kylie V pulls off the masterful trick of sounding like they can name every song ever recorded by Phoebe Bridgers or Wednesday, yet somehow seems from a long-gone time when Alanis Morissette, Imogen Heap, and Juliana Hatfield ruled the 1990s cool-kids lunch table. Impossibly, the video for “Wish I Was in Bed”—with admirably inventive director Luke Beach Bown deserving plenty of credit—is just as great as the song.
Kylie V indeed starts out in bed, with said mattress plunked in the middle of a park and loaded with pillows and stuffies of all sizes. A quick bit of blanket-over-the-camera magic gets them off and running, the singer-songwriter making their way down a flight of stairs to an indie-nation kitchen party before heading out for a Vancouver summer night during which all the stars are aligned. Over the next two minutes, we’re in a world where bubble guns add a magically DIY touch to impromptu backyard concerts, the city’s back alleys look burnt-orange-sunset beautiful, and grassy fields make for a perfect dance floor if you’re willing to give yourself over to the music.
Through it all, Kylie V gives every indication they’ve arrived a fully formed one-to-watch performer. You know how some people end up at the front of the line when God decides she’s ready to hand out that star-making intangible known as charisma? “Wish I Was in Bed” leaves little doubt the self-described indie-rock fairy got the jump there. For a clinic in speaking volumes without having to use words, head to the 1:35 mark, where they send a can’t-miss message that life’s indignities sometimes have to be endured.
All that matters is you are able to crawl off the ground afterwards. Or at least be willing to get out of bed, even if you wish you didn’t have to. Kylie V plays an October 24 show at the Fox Cabaret.
Watch for their upcoming sophomore album Crash Test Plane on November 15 on Royal Mountain Records. Video of Kylie V - Wish I Was In Bed (Official Video).
