Drawing us in with an intricate Americana-folk mandolin performance, expanding with guitar layers, French Vague opens Ride the Wave with optimism and dimensionality as he shares the lyrics, “Ride the wave of love, ride the wave of pain until nothing remains…”
The philosophical track expands with poetic prowess and instrumental mastery to create a cohesive tapestry of sound tapping into nostalgic elements with power-pop and hybrid-folk adjacency. There is a cinematic allure that comes to life and we could imagine this being featured in a movie like the Oscar-winning One Battle After Another, or perhaps a TV show like PLUR1BUS or the existential Nine Perfect Strangers.
In essence, the song uses the idea of a “wave” as a metaphor for emotional experience. French Vague references notions of love, pain, joy and bliss, which rise and fall in cycles – a poignant and accurate depiction of the human lived experience.
We appreciate how the narrative moves between vulnerability and acceptance. Lyrics like the “ghost of the day” bring to life lingering thoughts and past burdens, whilst the “arms of the night” and “muse of my nights” cement a more comforting and healing perspective.
Overall, the song frames love and life as uncontrolled, inviting us to trust the universe and the journey through surrender, endurance, and emotional immersion.
We learn that the composition is credited to French Vague, who is also known as Greg Hermann, performing vocals, mandocello, and octave mandolin. Backing vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards, and percussion are handled by Jacob Blizard.
Speaking on the release, French Vague tells us, “Ride the Wave is a song I wrote at a time of emotional turmoil. I was grieving my mum and the loss of a long-term relationship, and I slowly realised I was also falling in love with someone else at the same time. It was a beautiful mess.”
Needless to say, we are in awe, and have added Ride the Wave to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of French Vague, including his debut single, Consider This.
Photos by David Masters