The Icicles craft a sound that feels like a polaroid of a perfect spring day. It is built on a foundation of clean, jangly guitars, bright keyboard melodies, and vocals so gentle they almost feel like a secret shared between friends. There is an unmistakable 'twee' sensibility here, but it is executed with a level of melodic sophistication that keeps it from feeling like a novelty.
What truly distinguishes the band is the tension between their aesthetic and their later emotional depth. While their early work is defined by infectious, candy-coated hooks that caught the attention of major brands, their evolution reveals a willingness to explore heavier themes like postpartum depression and internal struggle. This shift adds a layer of grit to their shimmering surface, making the sweetness feel earned rather than accidental.
Start with 'Arrivals & Departures' to hear the band at their most polished and commercially potent. If you find yourself drawn to the more atmospheric and vulnerable side of their songwriting, move toward 'Renegade Parade' to experience the darker, more complex textures that eventually led the band toward shoegaze territory.
The Icicles are an American indie pop band from Grand Rapids, Michigan. The band was founded in 2000 by singer/songwriter/guitarist Gretchen DeVault, keyboardist Joleen Rumsey and drummer Korrie Sue, who met when they were students at Grand Valley State University. The group released a debut EP titled Pure Sugar in 2000. The Icicles developed a reputation for wearing matching handmade stage outfits—a reputation that was referenced in the title of the group's 2005 debut LP A Hundred Patterns. By that time, Korrie Sue had been replaced on drums by Greg Krupp, and bassist Emily Krueger had joined the band. This lineup was augmented by second guitarist Rebecca Rodriguez for the recording of 2007's Arrivals and Departures, after which Krupp was replaced by Gretchen's husband Zane DeVault and Krueger was replaced by Aaron Ekins. The group's 2012 release Renegade Parade took a melancholic turn, in part because of DeVault's struggle with postpartum depression. This emotional, melancholy side to DeVault's songwriting led to the founding of the shoegaze/dream pop group Voluptuous Panic with music journalist Brian J. Bowe in 2013.
Shares indie pop, chamber pop, dream pop (subgenres); breathy, gentle, harmonized (vocal style)
Shares indie pop, chamber pop, dream pop (subgenres); breathy, gentle, harmonized (vocal style)
Shares indie pop, chamber pop (subgenres); sunday morning, coffee shop, reading (atmosphere)
Shares indie pop, chamber pop, dream pop (subgenres); playful, wistful, joyful (moods)
Shares indie pop, chamber pop (subgenres); sunday morning, coffee shop, reading (atmosphere)
Shares indie pop, chamber pop (subgenres); breathy, gentle, harmonized (vocal style)
Shares indie pop, chamber pop (subgenres); analog warmth, minimalist, bedroom production (production style)
Shares indie pop, chamber pop, dream pop (subgenres); breathy, gentle, harmonized (vocal style)
Shares indie pop, chamber pop, dream pop (subgenres); breathy, gentle, harmonized (vocal style)
Shares indie pop, chamber pop (subgenres); breathy, gentle, harmonized (vocal style)
Shares jangly clean guitar arpeggios, dream pop, sunday morning, chamber pop (detail)
Shares wistful, dream pop, tender, sunday morning (signature)
Cassette uses generative AI to enrich its catalog. How we use AI →