Bicycle Sunday was (or maybe still is) a band from Michigan, active from 2010 to 2016. The band was the semi-solo project of East Lansing's Joe McAndrew. I've been hedging my bets in talking about the existence of the project because its future is still uncertain. Following the release of Bicycle Sunday's second album, McAndrew was posting on Facebook about the early pre-production stages of a theoretical third LP before going radio silent. In the years since, he seems to be focused on creating custom dice with his company Pour Over Gaming. Admittedly, those dice are awesome, but some new music would be even better.
If the song titles from most of Bicycle Sunday's releases weren't giveaway enough, the point of comparison here is Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate). McAndrew's played midwest emo revival of a specific type, the kind that avoids the extremely heavy Kinsella influence that runs through most midwest emo revival music in favor of the other mainstays of that 90s movement. Empire! Empire! is a near match, but McAndrew puts his own spin on the sound, and he would eventually evolve towards a more lush, emo pop-influenced take on midwest emo for his second album.
I don't know for certain why Bicycle Sunday isn't counted among the more well-known emo revival bands, especially given he was releasing his music at around the same time, but the fact he was never associated with a core emo label might have something to do with it. While Bicycle Sunday did play live, I don't know if the project ever went on extended tour. This is a shame, because I think Bicycle Sunday should be listed along with all the other emo revival greats of the 2010s. His music gets at something essential in 90s midwest emo that I think a lot of other emo revival artists missed.
Outside of a few rare physical releases, Bicycle Sunday's discography is primarily digital. The project's first release was 2010's Nothing's All Right, an EP whose title and sound serve as a statement of purpose (check out the Mineral homage at the opening of "Yeah, I Know, I Blamed Her When I Should've Blamed Myself.") This was followed in 2011 by a split 7" with fellow emo revival greats Park Jefferson. In 2012 the band released another single, City Sidewalks b/w Jon Gielgud. 2013 saw two releases: the Sarah, Just Ask EP, followed by the absolutely fantastic first LP, Remnants of Past Lives. The next year saw another EP, Scores of Minor Verses. Two years later, Bicycle Sunday would put out 2016's Pale Marble Movie, another excellent LP and sadly the last release from the project.
You may be wondering why I've decided to make this post given that Bicycle Sunday's discography is digital. There are two reasons. The first is that the Japanese physical release of Remnants of Past Lives has a bonus track that is not available anywhere else. The second reason is far more troubling: Pale Marble Movie has disappeared from Bandcamp and streaming. I assume this is due to some manner of rights issue, though as far I as I know the album was self-released, so its vanishing is a mystery.
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