With songs that get you thinking and feeling on a deep level, La Need Machine have for sure solidified itself as an artist who explores the biggest issues impacting people and nature. Their recent track "I Wish I Could Fly" takes a storytelling approach to shine a light on how climate change is massively messing with animals.
The singer's vocals come with this ethereal, almost otherworldly quality. The tone is so earthy, it just pulls you right in. You can picture this scene unfolding of a bear surrounded by his forest family in their woodland home. But then the fires start creeping closer, threatening everything. And as the birds around him take a flight to safety, you can feel the longing rising in the bear - if only he had wings too to fly away from danger.
The band just nails capturing the bear's experience. They make you feel how it must feel to watch your whole world start to burn while being stuck on the ground. There's a shimmering quality to the vocals that's comforting but also so sad at the same time. Layer after layer of emotion - panic, sorrow, desperation - all come through. Yet the delivery is still warm and hugging like it's cradling the listener even through the grief, how they can convey empathy for another creature so powerfully just through music.
This song does so much more than just being an incredible track. "I Wish I Could Fly" puts a spotlight on such an important issue as climate change. By making it about this bear's experience, it personalizes this huge global problem in a way that helps you feel empathetic. "I Wish I Could Fly" has for sure cemented itself as a standout from La Need Machine. Just when you think they couldn't deliver another piece quite so gripping in its raw emotion, they take things to a whole new level.
"I Wish I Could Fly" is a staggering achievement that will undoubtedly leave its mark. This is more than just a single—it's a glimpse into one band's powerful mission to foster empathy through sound. Be sure to check out "I Wish I Could Fly" for yourself. You can find it on all the major streaming platforms.