Premiere: Bucko Finds Magic In The Mundane With “Riding Mower”
We all know love can make you do crazy things—make impulsive decisions, become idealistically stubborn, even change your fundamental identity. But is this adage reserved only for the extremes of infatuation? Or should we consider it more broadly, when love subtly distorts all aspects of life? Moments when banal events transform into ardent expressions and routine upkeep becomes a place of connection. These actions are often more cherished, yet just because we view them with admiration doesn’t make them any less illogical. They’re just as deserving of the phrase “love makes you do crazy things,” even if you say it with a smile instead of a scowl.
Uttering that phrase today with a radiant smile is Richmond band Bucko on their emotionally charged new single, “Riding Mower.” Detailing a loving obsession that compels one to seek connection in even the most banal circumstances, the song is an evocative piece that masterfully blends the rich depth of rootsy Americana with the nuanced power of indie rock. It’s a song that commands attention with its affection and exhilarates with its release, expertly structured to amplify the full force of both. Out everywhere on Friday, November 22nd, The Auricular is thrilled to premiere this track today, offering a stream below along with the story behind the song and its profound emotional reach.
Amorous surrealism takes center stage in “Riding Mower,” inspired by an unexpected glimpse into an unconventional romantic moment in Scottsville, VA. “I drove past a house that made me slow down to make sure I’d seen what was happening correctly,” singer Ava Coles recalls. “A woman was sitting on the front of her husband’s riding mower directing him around the yard. I thought it was so funny and sweet that she was perched up there, cross-legged, to keep him company and make a mundane task more fun by doing it together. It was romantic and compelling enough to build a song around.”
Motivated by this tender connection in a tedious setting, Coles began writing, weaving in memories from her own upbringing in a similar rural environment. “All this imagery of my childhood home in the mountains in Boonesville, Virginia came up for me,” she explains. “Like the humid shed where we stored clothes in those thick plastic boxes, evenings in wicker chairs in the yard with swarms of gnats making halos in the right light, and a regal willow tree guarding or looking over the property. I wanted the chord progression to be mournful and haunting, and also evoke a sense of yearning or dreaming.”
The lyrics beautifully capture this sentiment, using sly imagery to evoke scenes of grass and gas fumes (“Ethanol aphrodisiac, shouldn’t let myself think like that”), while other lines focus on a longing for something that should never be ignored (“My daydreams aren’t in black and white\ They’re fully baked and filled with light”). In the chorus, the mundane is transformed into exhilaration, as the yearning for connection during a simple task paints a vision of the picture-perfect future we all hope for (“I wanna sit on the front of your riding mower\ I wanna be the one to say ‘you missed a spot’\ I want to have the house with the perfect lawn”).
With the foundation set, Coles developed the “mournful and haunting” chord progression to convey “yearning or dreaming,” before introducing it to the band for further collaboration in what they affectionately refer to as “buck-ifying a song.” Th collaborative effort unfolded at White Star Sound in Louisa, VA with Coco Daley on cello, as the band embraced an organic process to bring the narrative to life.
“We were really listening to each other and dancing around each other’s parts on the low end,” shares bassist Jacob Korona. “Ben Slone on guitar came up with the plucking pattern in the verses that really builds this beautiful rhythmic foundation for us to build off of. Same thing with Ben Heath on drums–we call him the human metronome and he really is the glue that holds us together. We all really listen to each other to try to echo or play off of what each other is doing. In this case, the instrumentation serves to bolster the narrative of the song and that really comes through in the distinct sections.”
Starting with a tender intimacy, the song gradually builds in emotional intensity, culminating in a powerful outpouring of longing expressed through impassioned vocals and a dynamic instrumental release. That release gets softened with additional verses before spilling over in the song’s outro, where a searing guitar solo captures the rush of emotions at their peak. “When writing the solo, I heard Ben Slone playing the rapid-fire rhythm during an initial jam of the song and asked if I could incorporate it,” guitarist Ezra Lapidus explains. “The rest was inspired by legends like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Ray Toro (of My Chemical Romance), who I admire for creating raw emotional release through intentional phrasing and string-breaking bends.” Both emphatic and arresting, the song captures the pull of unconventional intimacy, perfectly encapsulated in the whimsically nestled atop a riding mower as your partner circles the lawn.
“Riding Mower” follows a productive year for the self-described “honky-tonk goof-rock” group. In February, they released their debut single, “Derby,” a pleasing twangy garage romp. The fast call-and-response track “Live Or Die” came next in March followed by “Vines Will Thrive” in May, a rich composition highlighted by sublime harmonies and comforting tones. In August, the band released their self-titled record, an ingenious record full of vocal freedom, lyrical playfulness, and melodic wonder. The musical wonder of “Riding Mower” blends seamlessly with this collection, making Bucko’s recent output some of the most captivating sounds to emerge from Richmond this year. The peak of that musical harvest may vary depending on personal taste, but one thing is clear: “Riding Mower” is the band’s most piercing track yet, honing in on how passion can shape every aspect of our lives, both big and small, in a tender yet dynamic way that we should never stop dreaming of.
“Riding Mower” is out everywhere on Friday, November 22nd. You can catch Bucko in concert on the same day at Richmond Music Hall, sharing the stage with Jack The Underdog, Mel Bryant & The Mercy Makers, and Skyler Foley. To stay up-to-date on future news and releases, make sure to follow the band on social media.
