It seems fitting for Deer Pilot’s new single No Cause for Concern to be released in the season of fall. A slow, emotive piece of alternative rock, the vibe is a warm kind of beautiful melancholy reminiscent of the slow change of the leaves into the empty branches of winter.
Not that the tune is despairing. It’s a self-reflective piece in the voice of Los Angeles songwriter Bobby Danzi. A deep and thoughtful narrative, No Cause For Concern “tells of a misguided struggle – a quarter life crisis most people find all too familiar. The loss of a job, a long distance relationship, and seemingly no clear path in life.” The song turns from the temptation to despair, realizing “there is nothing to do but to lean into the discomfort and trudge ahead. All in all, it is no cause for concern.” The listener senses the unresolved tension between allowing oneself to sink into pain, or to let go and keep moving.
The instrumental choices of the track evoke the warm and sad hues of autumn. Softly flowing streams of acoustic guitar lines overflow into a wide expanse of electronic ambiance. Subtle snare drum percussion beats roll into our space from the unseen distance, and we are ushered into an enclosure of dreamy backup vocals in the chorus. Emerging gently from the floating sensation of the chorus, we are rooted and grounded again by warm, earthy pulls on the bow of the cello.
Deer Pilot’s expressed goal is to keep “focused on being as authentic and human as possible.” No Cause For Concern is an artistic and beautiful expression of just that.