Bicycle Inn pedal into a new era with “Longsword (4th Place)”
Boston emo outfit Bicycle Inn return with “Longsword (4th Place),” a dynamic new single about breaking free from the rut of mundanity.
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AUX TEAM
9/12/20251 min read
Boston’s own emo standard-bearers Bicycle Inn are back in the saddle with their brand-new single “Longsword (4th Place),” out now. It’s their first release since 2022’s brilliantly titled Baldr the Beautiful is Dead, is Dead and the first time the band has ever recorded as a five-piece. Translation: more layers, more dynamics, more heart-on-sleeve emo goodness.
Formed in 2016, Bicycle Inn have built their sound on warm melancholy and an alt-emo spin that nods to tradition without getting stuck in it. Now, with Dylan Ilkowitz back in the fold and new members Gilmar Perez (lead guitar) and Josh Giaquinto (percussion) making their recorded debut, “Longsword (4th Place)” feels like a band levelling up. Add in guest vocals from Ryan O’Rourke (Innerlove.) and some sonic polish courtesy of Gary Cioni (Soundacres Studio), and you’ve got a track that’s both raw and restless, pushing Bicycle Inn into bold new territory.
So, what’s the song about? The band call it “the struggle of mundanity; doing just enough, scraping by and ‘making the cut.’” Or, as they put it, becoming the reluctant “Saint of the Rut.” In other words, it’s about those moments where you realise coasting isn’t cutting it anymore — and it’s time to either shake things up or sink.
Listen to “Longsword (4th Place)” :