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If you caught Seeing Double’s show at The Garden just a few weeks ago, then you know the band’s ability to excite a crowd. Drawing inspiration from legendary 70s rock groups like Fleetwood Mac and Queen, Seeing Double evokes this same excitement in its upcoming fourth single “Bygones.”

With “Bygones,” which comes out Friday, the band of five SUNY-Oneonta juniors said they set out to write their own James Bond theme, complete with Clue-inspired cover art. The group recorded the single back in July, but just finished the mixing and mastering last week, said Allie Sandt, the lead singer of the group.

“I liked the lyrics on this song,” Sandt said of the single, which she called her favorite Seeing Double song yet. “They’re kind of vague, kind of cryptic, but overall just a reassurance to people in your life that they’re a part of it—in a roundabout way.”

A dark theme runs through the multi-genre group’s discography, and “Bygones” is no exception, featuring the same jazz undertones used by alternative artists like the Arctic Monkeys or Amy Winehouse.

Since forming in spring 2021, the band has churned out three villainesque powerhouse songs that are favorable among Gen Z audiences, evident through the group’s 12,500 TikTok followers.

Guitarist Mike Aaron said Queen especially inspired the song. Like “Killer Queen” and Seeing Double’s first song “Leah,” this fourth single paints a portrait of a heartbreaker character, the kind one obsesses over, who drives their lover up a wall.

“Everywhere I wanna go, I’d like you to follow, and no, I’d never, ever wanna leave,” Sandt sings in the chorus.

Aside from a small bit of keyboard in “Leah,” the piano intro in this single is a relative step forward for the band. The soft piano sets the scene, mysterious, film noir-like, achieving the band’s goal of writing a spy theme song. A steady drum beat cuts in, cuing Sandt’s harrowing vocals: “You say you’ve got me where you want me / but California haunts me, like you’d never believe,” she sings.

Across all its songs, the most distinguishing qualities of the band are its harmonies, courtesy of Sandt and Syracuse-native Ali McQueeney, and 70s-rock-style guitar solos, shared between Mike Aaron and Zach Torncello. “Bygones” plays to these strengths, all contributing to the band’s ability to excite an audience.

“We put a lot of hours into this song, especially the producing and editing part, definitely more than the others,” Sandt said.

Published on November 9, 2022 at 9:55 pm

Contact Sarah: scalessa@syr.edu | @sarahalessan