LIA LIA - 'I ride my bike'
LIA LIA’s new single “I ride my bike” embodies the wonder and innocence of youth, layered with an eerie softness.
Released on 20th September as a teaser for LIA LIA’s album coming out in October, the Chinese-German artist has enchanted fans with this single. Inspired by the feeling of being alone with your thoughts, Lia encapsulates the sense of being the only person in the world through her imagery and vocals. Listeners may be flooded with childhood nostalgia or a faint memory of being the only person on a night train or walking through a sleeping city. The feeling of freedom is most definitely pertinent in “I ride my bike,” taking in the whole world through the eyes of long-gone innocence via Lia’s alternative-pop music. She has struggled with her sense of identity, and so this album touches on this topic as does her earlier discography. Lia wants her listeners to be able to explore their emotions through her art, which I personally find to be a very touching sentiment; taking someone through the lens of her inner world and immersing them in it through creative affections.
“I ride my bike” evokes a relaxing, calm atmosphere with dark undertones, brought forth by ambient synth notes. Lyrics like “I watch how my bones dissolve/And slowly I turn into a ghost” and “I spook the night from eleven to six” indicate something more sinister, however, contrasting with the light acoustic plucks and soft, sweet vocals. At the end of the music video for “I ride my bike,” we see Lia dressed as a winged angel, hovering above a body after a bike crash, supporting this aforementioned dark undertone. Perhaps, this song is about the metaphorical feeling of leaving your body while doing something that is so freeing that you might feel weightless – or, maybe, death in the literal sense! Whichever it is, “I ride my bike” accurately conveys the shared human experience of being out in the world by yourself with no responsibilities to weigh you down. It also touches on the romanticisation of losing yourself in daydreams – something that can easily be done while riding a bike. The free-spiritedness and gracefulness of this track will wash away all worries and duties you may have as if you’re living in a fantasy world with LIA LIA as your narrator.
If you’re looking for something to chill out to in the evening before a full day of work, the tranquil “I ride my bike” will conjure up the right atmosphere for you.
Words by Sydney Kaster
