Utilizing a slow tempo and uncomfortable pauses in "The Indie Queens Are Waiting", Dan Mangan uses dual characterization, depressing imagery, and a sincere, intimate narrative to convey his tragically hopeful tone that he has been “kinda hoping and always watching for a reaction.”
Casually going to a favorite dinner of his, Mangan stumbles upon an encounter with girl who he loves, but is not dating anymore. The listener can easily feel how awkward this moment is, because the song completely pauses upon seeing her. They are both obviously interested in each other still, and ask themselves “are we cool now?” They watch each other, and have the same thoughts about each other. But, unfortunately, they both think if they bring it up, whatever ‘it’ may be, it would just make the other upset, just like they did before their breakup. They are so in love, but have no idea how the other feels, they want to make up, but neither knows if they can talk to each other about it, because they don’t fully know if they are “cool now.”
The listener can picture this all happening in a small little city, perhaps in the winter (everything is sadder in the bitter cold of winter). And, as they walk through their city, they encounter not just each other, but they reminisce of the love they had together. It is all so dreary, so sorrowful; the lighting in the dinner is probably dim as they see each other. One can see it all unfold when Mangan takes a pause seeing her for the first time in what seems like too long. In the beginning when he says “Down the road and to the right hand side, there’s a place I sometimes like to dine” it almost seems like the song wasn’t even going to be about her, but maybe just about the day he was having or that little dinner, but while looking at all the cups of coffee his eyes find her, and it all comes back, she becomes his muse, she becomes the subject. She inspires him to convey his thoughts though this song and thus allowing him to deal with all this pain.
Making this song a duet made it even more powerful, it allowed the listener to know the identical thoughts of both, without them knowing how the other feels. And, it really just makes the whole thing even sadder for the listener, because you just want them to suck it up, and apologize to each other, but they are just too scared. By having the song be a duet, it also allows the listener to really see how in love they are, because they both say the exact same thing. They do not point their fingers at each other, in fact, they are quick to blame themselves when they say “I know that I was poking, and sort of prodding”.
This song shows how truly sad it is to still be in love when you think the one you love doesn’t love you in return in the most tragic way; it is intimate and personal. They know their “days are numbered”, and they don’t want to waste any time being apart, but they don’t know where they stand to the other while we as listeners do. They watch each other wondering if the other is “watching or just waiting to see” if they are “cool now”.
