A New Single From StreeTcar Conductors Brings On A Pop-Rock Approach With A Sentiment We Can All Understand
A new single release from Streetcar Conductors recently dropped, and this is a song that definitely embodies this sort of cinematic pop-rock style, but with elements of progressive rock in its undertone and an overall massive amount of pop sensibility, giving us heavy-handed hooks, especially at that chorus.
The chorus of this track bounces around in your brain for hours or even days after it has ended. This is an example of a track that has a message to send; it has a great sentiment that feels pretty relatable, but people can interpret it in different ways.
The song has this bright and sort of colorful overtone, with hints of edginess lurking just beneath the surface.
The guitar tones and riffs sort of give off that edgy approach I mentioned earlier, and you can tell that there was a lot of attention paid to the arrangement of this.
One of my favorite aspects about the song as a whole is that it's got this orchestrated string section that sort of helps the song build and ends up pushing bits of emotion through as well.
Maybe this is also why I feel like it's so cinematic or filmic. The string sections really add another layer to the song and give it a certain kind of depth that it wouldn't have otherwise.
Sections like this let you pay more attention to the lyrics somehow. This is because the strings build that emotion, like I just said, but where's the emotion coming from? The emotion is coming from the lyrics that are being sung. It's about the story being told.
So, when you hear instrumentally emotional segments in rock songs like this, it sort of makes you pay more attention to the premise or sentiment of the track itself.
I thought that this was a brilliant approach, even if it wasn't meant for that specifically. I think it just happens naturally.
There are a couple of layers of guitars, and at times they're doing different things. At certain points, one of the guitars is used as a chunky sort of rhythm section, while the other one is holding out different notes.
This also adds a little bit of thickness and helps the progression have a natural and forward-moving flow damn near perfectly.
When it does hit that chorus, it isn't afraid to get a little heavy. It's got an almost grungy feel at that point and puts off a lot of drive, which is something I really liked because it was perfectly placed.
As I mentioned, the arrangement is really smart. Verses build up to those choruses in such a great way, and when the hooks hit, you're fully satisfied.
The name of the track is "What Are You Waiting For?", and it sort of embodies the whole concept of having a plan, or even a dream to do something, putting together the idea that this is what you want to do, whether it's big or small, and then sort of not doing it.
It's about really wanting something and putting a lot of effort into the thought behind it but hesitating to take action. Even if you don't know why the hesitation is there, if you haven't made your move yet and a certain amount of time passes, you start to wonder what the heck you're waiting for.
That's something that you actually ask yourself in the situation. This is what the song beckons. If you want to do something so bad, what are you waiting for?
What is stopping you?
So, like I said, this can be taken in a few different ways.
Because the song has a sort of light-hearted pop-rock color to it, it feels almost like this is based on a relationship. You like the other person; you want to make a move, so what are you waiting for?
But it can be bigger than that. It can be about going for a dream or a job that you want, or any kind of bigger plan at all.
So, others may take it a little differently, but for me, the sentiment was pretty loud and clear, and because of that, it was very relatable.
I'm a person who makes plans to do things and doesn't always follow through, no matter how important they seem.
Perhaps I put other elements of life in front of them a bit too much, and they never end up happening in the end.
This song showcases such a great level of character that it's very easy to almost immediately connect with it.
It's like an anthem for people like me. And there are plenty of others like me out there who do the same.
It's amazing how this was spun into something that has a lot of heart, has loads of pop sensibility, and still delivers that sort of important message.
Maybe someone is in a situation where they want to do something because they like that other person, and they're waiting to make their move, but then they hear the song, and it gives them the little extra push they needed.
That's the kind of effect music can have on people.
All in all, this was a very robust and boisterous, fun, and super-catchy pop-rock banger that felt good and had loads of that filmic backbone behind it.
All the layers of strings and guitars came together while the drums gave it extra drive and the vocals came through with all that color, so that it was all portrayed with an authenticity that was clear.
As I said before, this will be stuck in your head. You will find yourself humming this chorus without even realizing it.
Upon listening to the track, I wanted to have a sit-down with Streetcar Conductors so we could talk about where it actually came from and what might be coming up next for them.
So, while you dig into this track, have a read through our interview with the band below.
Don't miss this, and remember where you heard it first.
Hey guys, and thanks for taking some time with us! Let's jump right into "What Are You Waiting For?"
Where did this track come from, and what is it about?
I wrote this song over 20 years ago, in the early 2000s. I was a young adult still figuring out what I wanted to do with my life. Early on in life, I got really good at coming up with ideas, planning, and scheming about all the great things I was going to do. I got so good at that, I did it all the time and never actually accomplished anything. I was content to dream and not follow through, and I knew even back then that it was a serious problem.
I really liked this song back then and played it live a few times, made a demo, but the band I was playing in broke up. Then I went in a different musical direction, and this song almost got completely forgotten about until a few years ago. I came across an old demo, and it felt just right for the album I was working on at the time—the one that will come out next April. I was coming off a break from pursuing music in a serious way, and the message of the song once again felt relevant to me. The new arrangement of the song really brought it to life. Sometimes an old idea can go through a couple of tweaks and suddenly feel brand new again, and that's what happened here. I'm glad it's finally seen the light of day.
I am certainly hearing several styles here! Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
It would be quite a laundry list if I went through them all, but to me, this particular song makes me think of The Who, ELO, Teenage Fanclub, and Weezer. Also, maybe a bit of Smashing Pumpkins' "Tonight, Tonight"? It's very '90s. It's got the fuzzed-out guitars of a '90s power-pop tune on the chorus, but also a bit of '70s ELO grandiosity, with the string section and the French horn and all that on the instrumental sections and the bridge. It represents us expanding the sound of the band to something more stadium-sized, which is very exciting as someone who came from more of a tighter, sparse indie rock sound.
Did you guys record this at a bigger studio or with a home DAW setup?
We recorded this at Miracle Lake Studios in Camas, Washington. It is an absolutely world-class recording studio, one of the best I've ever been to. It has this tracking room with huge windows and a piano, and the room overlooks a beautiful lake with all these trees, and it's just so inspiring to be in there. I feel very privileged to have access to such a great place and to be able to spend as much time there as I did. I did a lot of arranging strings and synthesizers, and even recorded some of the guitars at home, but then, for the drums and other things where it was important to get that huge, live-room sound, we recorded that at Miracle Lake. We did vocals there, and we mixed it all there too.
Was it self-produced, or did you have an outside producer on this one?
It was produced by myself (Jonathan) and Jack Norwood, who owns Miracle Lake. His son, Skyler Norwood, has produced many great artists there, including Horse Feathers, Blind Pilot, and Sara Jackson-Holman. Skyler is very supportive. He also gave some input on the project as it went on, but I'd say Jack Norwood was sort of like the executive producer. I worked very closely with him, so it was the best of both worlds—I got a very talented producer's opinion on everything, but still had creative control. I learned a lot about how to produce music during this album's rather lengthy production, especially when it comes to mixing, which I hadn't done a lot of before. I had a lot of guidance from Jack on how to get certain results, but it was always my creative direction.
Are you touring or playing live right now?
We have not played live in years, but hopefully that will change early in 2027. After COVID, we were sort of forced to take a break. And then I got married and started a family, some people moved away, and things changed. By the time I tried to get everybody back together, things had fizzled out. Carmen and I always kept working on this album—we were always the core of the band—and Streetcar Conductors became mainly a studio project for a few years. But I'm hoping to get back into playing live soon, especially since the album is finally finished now.
Now that this is out there, what's next?
A whole lot of new material is coming in the next six months. I have been in the cave working on this album for years, and I do, in fact, have years' worth of material—it's just that none of it has come out until now! There will be three more singles, one each month of 2027, and then the full album comes out in April. The album is long—an hour and fifteen minutes. There will be videos for each of the singles as well. And playing live—we'll just have to see if we can get it together by then. I hope we can. If not, there are plenty of other ways to reach fans, with video being a huge one. It's going to be a very busy year for us. I probably won't tour a whole lot—things are different for me now that I have a family, but I'm just so happy to be putting out music again. And I'm going to do as much as I can.
Do you write songs together, or is there one main songwriter who brings ideas back to the rest?
I am the main songwriter for the band, but I do collaborate with others on certain songs. And Carmen is also a very talented songwriter. We have done a few of her songs as well over the years. The upcoming album will feature a song she wrote, and I hope there will be even more in the future. It's hard because I'm just so much more prolific—I never stop writing songs. I have hundreds and hundreds of them ready to go. She hasn't written as many, so there are fewer to choose from. But I really like her songs a lot, and we will play more of them in the future as she writes more of them. We will probably do some proper co-writing on future albums as well. I think the only reason that hasn't happened yet is because I already had all of this stuff in the works by the time the band formed. The future could bring a totally different process, who knows? But I'll probably always be the main songwriter because I just write so much!
What would you say people can expect from this release?
The album as a whole? I'd say you can expect an epic audio adventure—a soundtrack to a movie that doesn't exist. It's a concept album in the tradition of classic rock operas like "Tommy," except that it doesn't sound like a throwback exactly. To my ears, the production is quite modern. But it is a storytelling concept album in that same tradition. Thematically, it's all about getting your life back on track after a period of things not going well. It's actually a pretty dark record in a way. It deals with some hard topics that I've never dealt with before—reaching the end of your rope and what happens after that crisis. It's about rebuilding your life after hitting rock bottom. I'd say the themes are very existential, but it's the farthest thing from nihilistic—it's a very meaningful, hopeful album. To people who understand what it's about, those who have lived through something like that, I think it will mean a great deal to them.
Musically, it's all over the place—it goes from this power-pop sound to orchestral pop, to dream pop and shoegaze, to alternative rock, future folk, all around the world and back again. It's an audio adventure for sure, and totally unlike what we've done before.
The music video was so good! How was this all put together, and how much of a hand did you have in its creation?
I helped to come up with the concept, and that's about where my involvement ended. The video was put together by this amazing director and editor from Spain, Patty S. She was just awesome to work with, and I was so impressed by what she did. It was put together essentially from stock footage—but not like generic stock footage. It was unique stuff made by some really great videographers that she had access to, and she put it all together into this story about a boy dreaming of going to outer space.
Personally, I like to think that the astronaut at the end is that little boy all grown up. But that's open to interpretation, I suppose. I was quite moved by the end result because my 2-year-old son is obsessed with space, rockets, and going to the moon, and it made me think of him. He is also obsessed with this video now and asks to watch it all the time.
Before we go, is there anything you'd like to express to fans and listeners?
The message of this song is: don't wait for the perfect time. The perfect time is right now. Do the things you want to do that mean something to you, because life is short.
I also want to express how incredibly grateful I am for the kind words people have sent to me about the song and what it means to them. It means so much that anyone is still interested after so many years of not putting anything out. And the fact that people still care and still want to hear more from us really means a lot! That means a lot more to me than numbers or anything else. I just love knowing that something I wrote can connect with somebody else and mean something to them.
Thank you all again for doing this with us!
Thanks for having me! This was fun.
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