Rare Candy / “Bottle of Wine” Single Review

Alex Wieringa, also known by his artist name Rare Candy, is an independent singer/songwriter from Chicago, IL, now located in Nashville, TN. While releasing his new single "Bottle of Wine" this fall, Alex has recently been up to touring over the past few months in various roles beyond Rare Candy as well.

Photos by Allie Loven in Chicago, IL

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Rare Candy’s most recent single “Bottle of Wine” is an energetic folk-pop single with punk influences and a raw sound. The acoustic instrumentation builds a lifelike atmosphere, and the vocals are smooth with harmonies and layering that bring them to life.

The production style of this track is overall crisp. But then there’s a rawness to it, as the buzz of the guitar stands out, adding an overarching warmth to things. The way this production style hits gives space for every little piece of the instrumentation and vocals to stand out in their own ways. Therefore, even though every part of it is interesting on its own, nothing takes away from the sound of anything else.

From the get-go, the quick fingerpicking starts things off with a lot of energy. Its intricacies and pace bring a lot of excitement to the table, and it serves as a great hook. Additionally, there’s an overarching synth tone that rests in the background. The use of this tone adds some atmosphere to things, and that atmosphere gives a nice touch to the sound. The sound of the guitar remains quick after the first verse, but it evolves into fast strums instead with some fingerpicking resting in the background. Overall, there is a lot of cohesion in how the different aspects of the guitar play together.

Vocally, “Bottle of Wine” has a vocal tone that’s reminiscent of pop-punk music. The verses are a bit softer, but they have a higher vocal tone that works with a buzzy nasal tone. The chorus follows this tone, but it works with strong belts and more of an uptempo drive. It works well with melody and the harmonies rest smoothly in the background when introduced.

The lyrics tell a tale of separation, change, and hurt. “Where've you been? / I haven't heard from you in days / Have you changed your ways?,” the opening verse cuts in with. This sets off a narrative from the perspective of someone who is going through the emotions that come with being separated from a former lover. 

The chorus gets into telling this other party to keep what was given if they “find love in a bottle of wine.” It overall hits with a jab that comes from a place of hurt, wanting the subject of the track to understand what they’ve done and feel the consequences of it.

The second verse then expresses feelings of having been ignored, “Oh, you would never check your phone / I called you every day.” It seems that it comes from the perspective of someone who made an unreturned effort to keep the connection running. This ends with said person feeling forgotten and then told to leave things be.

The chorus is catchy and beltable, and a story of deep emotion is poetically built as things move along. There’s a lot to resonate with for a lot of people in the lyrics, as its story captures a first-person take on a situation similar to one that many others have been through. It offers up something to connect with and process emotions to.

“Bottle of Wine” overall fits well into the sound of Rare Candy’s dynamic discography. It has that clear production style and clarity in its mix, and it works with acoustic tones and melodic folk pop basis with pop-punk vocal aspects. However, it stands out with the energy it brings to the table. Its tempo is raised compared to much of what Rare Candy has released in the past, and it definitely is a heavy hitter.

Review Written by Sage Plapp