Bunny Is a Rider explained

Bunny Is a Rider
Type:	single
Cover:	Caroline Polachek - Bunny Is a Rider.png
Artist:	Caroline Polachek
Album:	Desire, I Want to Turn Into You
Genre:	Avant-pop electropop
Length:	3:17
Label:	Perpetual Novice
Producer:	Polachek Danny L Harle
Prev Title:	Breathless
Prev Year:	2020
Next Title:	New Shapes
Next Year:	2021

"Bunny Is a Rider" is a song by American singer Caroline Polachek, released on July 14, 2021, through Perpetual Novice. It is the lead single from her fourth studio album Desire, I Want to Turn Into You. Written and co-produced by Polachek, it features production by frequent collaborator Danny L Harle. The song received critical acclaim and was named the best song of 2021 by Pitchfork.

Background and composition

Upon releasing the song, Polachek referred to "Bunny Is a Rider" as "a summer jam about being unavailable". Keeping the identity of "Bunny" a mystery, she revealed, "Bunny is slippery, impossible to get ahold of. Maybe it's a fantasy, maybe it's a bad attitude. But anyone can be Bunny, at least for three minutes and seventeen seconds".^[1] The production features "a scorching bass performance from producer Danny L Harle, plus his baby daughter's first vocal cameo".^[2]

Critical reception

The song was met with widespread critical acclaim. Jordan Darville of The Fader labeled the song "avant-pop". Describing the song as "gently groovy and full of the vocal wizardry Polachek does so well", it was later included on the magazine's "weekly Songs You Need playlist".^[3] Praising the track, Robin Murray at Clash Music opined that the song is a "fantastic piece of electronic pop" and an "extraordinary return" of Polachek.^[4] Jade Gomez at Paste felt like the song was a change of pace for Polachek, viewing the release as "a sonic departure from Polachek's dreamy, introspective indie-pop as she veers into spicier territories". The prominent "whistles transport listeners into a Caribbean paradise as Polachek reflects on operating untethered to anyone or anything".^[5] The writers of DIY called the song a "futuristic-pop bop".^[6] James Rettig at Stereogum noted the "twitchy and smooth" production, complemented by Polachek's "gliding, stuttering processed vocals".^[7]

The song was ranked as the number-one song on Pitchforks year-end list of 2021.

Publication! scope="col"

List	Rank
Consequence	Top 50 Songs of 2021		^[8]
Gigwise	The Gigwise 20 Best Tracks of 2021		^[9]
The Guardian	The 20 best songs of 2021		^[10]
The New York Times	Lindsay Zoladz's Top 25 Best Songs of 2021		^[11]
NME	The 50 best songs of 2021		^[12]
Pitchfork	Top 100 Songs of 2021		^[13]
Uproxx	The Best Songs of 2021		^[14]

Music video

The music video was released on July 26, 2021, and was directed by Matt Copson, while Polachek herself served as a co-director.^[3] The scenery is set in "a dimly lit labyrinth of boxes". Polachek is then seen leading the camera towards "different sections of the maze", passing by boxes that contain taped labels with words like "rocket science", "geese" and "dark crystals".^[15] Brit Dawson at Dazed Digital drew comparisons to Tomb Raider and Alice in Wonderland.^[16]

Further reading

• Web site: Kent-Smith . Jasmine . Caroline Polachek on 'Bunny is a Rider' and collaborating with Danny L Harle . . 2021-07-15 . 2023-02-04 . mdy-all . 2021-11-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211112163432/https://crackmagazine.net/article/profiles/caroline-polachek-on-bunny-is-a-rider-and-collaborating-with-danny-l-harle/ . live .

Notes and References

1. Web site: Caroline Polachek Shares New Song "Bunny Is a Rider": Listen. Minsker. Evan. Pitchfork. July 14, 2021. February 13, 2022. February 4, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230204164740/https://pitchfork.com/news/caroline-polachek-shares-new-song-bunny-is-a-rider-listen/. live.
2. Web site: Caroline Polachek evades capture on new single 'Bunny Is A Rider'. Lavin. Will. NME. July 14, 2021. February 13, 2022. February 4, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230204164757/https://www.nme.com/news/music/caroline-polachek-evades-capture-on-new-single-bunny-is-a-rider-2993520. live.
3. Web site: Caroline Polachek announces tour, shares "Bunny Is A Rider" music video. Darville. Jordan. The Fader. July 26, 2021. February 13, 2022. February 4, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230204164744/https://www.thefader.com/2021/07/26/caroline-polachek-2021-tour-bunny-is-a-rider-music-video. live.
4. Web site: Caroline Polachek's 'Bunny Is A Rider' Is A Stunning Return. Murray. Robin. Clash Music. July 15, 2021. February 13, 2022. February 4, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230204164746/https://www.clashmusic.com/news/caroline-polacheks-bunny-is-a-rider-is-a-stunning-return. live.
5. Web site: Caroline Polachek Returns with "Bunny Is a Rider". Gomez. Jade. Paste. July 14, 2021. February 13, 2022. February 4, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230204164746/https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/caroline-polachek/caroline-polachek-returns-with-bunny-is-a-rider/. live.
6. Web site: Caroline Polachek unveils 'Bunny Is a Rider' video. DIY. July 26, 2021. February 13, 2022.
7. Web site: Caroline Polachek – "Bunny Is A Rider". Rettig. James. Stereogum. July 14, 2021. February 13, 2022. February 4, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230204164750/https://www.stereogum.com/2153879/caroline-polachek-bunny-is-a-rider/music/. live.
8. Web site: Top 50 Songs of 2021. . Consequence. December 6, 2021. February 13, 2022. December 6, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211206170022/https://consequence.net/2021/12/top-50-songs-2021-list/. live.
9. Web site: The Gigwise 20 Best Tracks of 2021. . Gigwise. December 7, 2021. February 13, 2022. March 10, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220310061414/https://www.gigwise.com/features/3413872/the-gigwise-20-best-tracks-of-2021. live.
10. Web site: The 20 best songs of 2021. Beaumont-Thomas. Ben. Snapes. Laura. November 29, 2021. TheGuardian.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20211129062618/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/nov/29/the-20-best-songs-of-2021. November 29, 2021. live. February 13, 2022.
11. Web site: Best Songs of 2021. Pareles. Jon. Caramanica. Jon. Zoladz. Lindsay. The New York Times. December 7, 2021. February 13, 2022. 0362-4331. November 1, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221101113620/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/07/arts/music/best-songs.html. live.
12. Web site: The 50 best songs of 2021. December 7, 2021. Flood. Alex. Trendell. Andrew. Hunt. El. Kemp. Ella. Shutler. Ali. Jolley. Ben. Mylrea. Hannah. Williams. Jenessa. Bassett. Jordan. Williams. Kyann-Sian. Krol. Charlotte. Daly. Rhian. Clark. Patrick. Williams. Sophie. Smith. Thomas. Richards. Will. Buchanan. Rhys. Moore. Sam. NME. https://web.archive.org/web/20211207114826/https://www.nme.com/features/music-features/nme-best-songs-of-the-year-2021-3112636. December 7, 2021. live. February 13, 2022.
13. Web site: The 100 Best Songs of 2021. . Pitchfork. December 6, 2021. February 13, 2022. March 28, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220328041351/https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/best-songs-2021/. live.
14. Web site: The Best Songs of 2021. White. Caitlin. Droke. Carolyn. Williams. Aaron. Hyden. Steve. Gelfand. Zac. Okon. Wongo. Rossignol. Derrick. Spinelli. Adrian. Johnson. Chereise. December 1, 2021. Uproxx. https://web.archive.org/web/20211202012605/https://uproxx.com/music/best-songs-2021-list/. December 2, 2021. live. February 13, 2022.
15. Web site: Caroline Polachek dances away from a minotaur in 'Bunny Is a Rider' video. Serrano. Athena. MTV. July 26, 2021. February 13, 2022. February 4, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230204164750/https://www.mtv.com/news/6itikq/caroline-polachek-bunny-is-a-rider-video. dead.
16. Web site: Caroline Polachek channels Lara Croft in 'Bunny Is A Rider' video. Dawson. Brit. Dazed Digital. July 27, 2021. February 13, 2022. February 4, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230204164802/https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/53654/1/caroline-polachek-channels-lara-croft-in-bunny-is-a-rider-video. live.