“Lady Laces” by Bosco

In his new single “Lady Laces,” Bosco is far less concerned with the indulgence of rock than he is about the appropriation of its lustiest components, namely the psych-pop bloodline it shares so vividly with the indie pop we know in 2022. There’s a lot of instrumental dreaminess to behold in the groove and primary hook in “Lady Laces,” but none of it ever sounds produced by the same sort of mechanical conceptualism we could have found within the discography of any experimentalist today. Instead, this is the product of dedicated exceptionalism the likes of which I don’t have the chance to review very often.  

This bass has more color than it initially knows what to do with, but as Bosco layers on the groove-heavy pop features that blend into a haze of harmonies by the halfway point in the song, “Lady Laces” starts to feel more cohesive – and ostensibly flamboyant. It pulls together a decadent profile out of almost nothing, and given that the arrangement remains within the realm of simplicity long into all of the bombast here, it’s never debatable whether or not we’re listening to something organic and true to a stripped-down pop model most any generation has exploited in one fashion or another.  

The vocal and the guitar parts here form what could be the most jarring and eroticized harmony in Bosco’s latest cut, and I appreciate how well they complement the sentiments of the lyrics. Straight and to-the-point doesn’t have to sound black and white at the end of the day, but instead as full-bodied and color-saturated as the high-definition speakers will allow (and, if you’re fortunate enough to have a decent sound system, there’s a lot of different sonic pigments to be studied in a track as elaborately immersive as “Lady Laces” feels).  

There’s a heady dose of tension on the backend of this mix that feels amazing at the start of the song and slowly dissipates into nothing by the conclusion, but other than extending its presence here, I don’t think there’s anything I would change about the structure of the track. One of the best parts about “Lady Laces” is that it sounds complete in every way, even as a bridge piece to the other songs we’ve been hearing out of his impressive local scene as of late. Bosco is someone who thinks about the little details, and that’s obvious just by listening to his new single.  

Telling stories through more than lush lyrics is a talent that few artists I encounter possess with any legitimacy, but it’s something that Bosco has proven himself capable of doing in every minute of this single he’s just released. He’s not slowing his momentum for anything, but pressing on the gas a little more in “Lady Laces.” There’s virtually no corner of the pop map he isn’t willing to venture to if it means coming back with something valuable on his back, and here, we hear some of his most inventive work so far.  

Mindy McCall