Every now and then, a song arrives that makes you stop and think:
I need to hear more from these people.
That was my immediate reaction to “Apple Pie” by Forget Them Wendy.
There is something wonderfully effortless about this song. It is delicate without being fragile, melodic without trying too hard, and playful while carrying just enough depth to leave you wondering what exactly is happening beneath the surface.
And perhaps that is the point.
Forget Them Wendy have built a song that seems happy to simply drift along, allowing the listener to join it for a few minutes before—almost without warning—it disappears.
And just like that, you’re left wanting more, but then again you don’t. Its that sort of song
A Song Full of Hooks
The first thing that grabbed me about “Apple Pie” was the songwriting.
There are some genuinely lovely hooks scattered throughout the track.
Lines such as:
“Maybe in the afternoon, we could write a mellow tune.”
And, of course:
“Life’s an apple pie, let it float on by.”
There is something beautifully simple about them.
They sound almost like thoughts that have drifted into the room rather than lyrics that have been carefully constructed to impress. And yet that looseness is exactly what makes them memorable.
The phrase “Life’s an apple pie, let it float on by” is particularly interesting because, according to songwriter Laura James, she isn’t entirely sure what it means.
But she knows it’s important.
And that may be the perfect description of the best kind of songwriting.
Sometimes a lyric doesn’t need to arrive with a detailed explanation attached.
Sometimes it just needs to make you feel something.
Letting the Song Breathe
Musically, “Apple Pie” is built around a delicate and almost sparse arrangement.
Acoustic guitar sits at the centre, giving the track its warm, summery foundation. But the instrumentation doesn’t crowd the song.
There is space.
And in that space, Laura’s vocals are allowed to do something quite beautiful.
At times, they simply seem to float through the arrangement.
There is no need to force the emotion. No need to overpower the instrumentation. The vocal moves gently through the song, becoming another part of its hazy atmosphere.
It creates the feeling of one of those long afternoons where time seems to stretch out and nothing particularly important needs to happen.
You can just be.
That sense of ease is one of the song’s greatest strengths.
Hazy Summer Days
“Apple Pie” was written during the height of summer and inspired by those lazy, endless days that seem to go on forever.
You can hear that in the song.
There is a warmth to it.
A sense of stillness.
A feeling that the outside world can wait.
The song’s central atmosphere feels wonderfully unhurried, and that makes the lyrics about mellow tunes and letting life float by feel completely natural.
Forget Them Wendy don’t seem interested in rushing towards a destination.
They are more interested in the journey.
Or perhaps even more accurately, they are happy to sit in the moment.
But It Doesn’t Stay There
Of course, this is Forget Them Wendy.
And things aren’t quite as straightforward as they first appear.
Towards the end of “Apple Pie”, the song begins to take an unexpected turn.
The laid-back atmosphere shifts.
The track moves towards something more psychedelic.
And then…
It just ends.
Abruptly.
No long fade-out.
No gentle landing.
It is simply over.
And I love that.
There is something wonderfully bold about creating this hazy, delicate world and then refusing to let the listener settle comfortably at the end.
It makes you notice the absence.
One moment the song is there.
The next moment, it’s gone.
And suddenly you’re looking around thinking:
Hang on. I want more.
Maybe That’s the Point
The ending of “Apple Pie” becomes even more interesting when you consider the inspiration behind it.
The final moments reference Paul Bowles’ novel The Sheltering Sky and its exploration of death and impermanence.
That brings a darker thought into what initially appears to be a song about endless summer days.
Maybe those days don’t last forever.
Maybe nothing does.
The song begins with the feeling that time can stretch on endlessly.
Lazy afternoons.
Mellow tunes.
Life floating by.
But eventually, the music stops.
And perhaps that sudden ending is a reminder that the things we assume will continue forever rarely do.
It’s a fascinating idea to hide inside such a breezy song.
And it gives “Apple Pie” more weight the longer you think about it.
Who Are Forget Them Wendy?
Forget Them Wendy are an indie pop/grunge duo made up of Newcastle-based songwriter Laura James and Edinburgh-born producer and guitarist Oliver Price, who now lives in London.
Their name comes from a line in J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan:
“Forget them, Wendy. Forget them all. Come with me where you’ll never, never have to worry about grown-up things again.”
That sense of escaping adulthood, uncertainty and expectation seems to fit comfortably with the band’s creative identity.
The duo draw inspiration from 1990s artists including The Cranberries, Smashing Pumpkins and The Breeders, blending indie-pop melodies with grunge influences and a playful, self-aware approach to songwriting.
And there is clearly plenty of experience behind the project.
Laura James is an award-winning songwriter, while Oliver Price has an impressive production background that includes work connected with artists ranging from Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre to M.I.A. and Lucy Rose.
But “Apple Pie” doesn’t sound like a song created by people trying to demonstrate their credentials.
It sounds like a song created by artists comfortable enough to follow their instincts.
Momentum Is Building
Forget Them Wendy are already beginning to attract attention.
Their track “Dead in the Water” was named by BBC Introducing as one of its Tracks of 2025, while their more recent single “Plug It In” was selected as BBC Introducing’s Track of the Week.
They are now working towards the release of their debut album, releasing songs one at a time while, by their own admission, continuing to overthink the final track order.
That sounds about right.
And it also sounds promising.
Because if “Apple Pie” is an indication of the band’s ability to move between styles and emotional spaces, the eventual album could be a fascinating listen.
I Need to Hear More
That’s the thing I keep coming back to with Forget Them Wendy.
I want to hear more.
“Apple Pie” has enough going on to make you curious.
There are hooks that stay with you.
The vocal performance has an effortless quality that perfectly suits the delicate arrangement.
The acoustic foundation creates warmth.
The psychedelic turn near the end changes the entire landscape.
And then the song simply disappears.
It’s fantastic.
There is something refreshing about a track that doesn’t feel the need to overstay its welcome.
Forget Them Wendy give you the song.
They create the mood.
They drop in those wonderful hooks.
They let the vocals float.
They take you somewhere unexpected.
And then they’re gone.
Perhaps that’s why I immediately wanted more.
Because “Apple Pie” feels like discovering a band halfway through a very interesting conversation.
You’ve only just started listening.
And suddenly, they’re walking away.
The Verdict
“Apple Pie” is a beautifully delicate piece of indie-pop songwriting with enough unexpected moments to keep it interesting.
It has warmth.
It has hooks.
It has a wonderfully sparse arrangement.
And it has a vocal performance that seems to float effortlessly through the space around it.
Then, just when you think you know where the song is going, Forget Them Wendy take it somewhere else.
And then it ends.
Just like that.
For me, it’s a fantastic discovery.
And more importantly, it leaves me wanting to dive deeper into what Forget Them Wendy are doing.
Because if this is what they sound like when they’re letting life float by, I’m very interested to hear what happens next.
🎧 Forget Them Wendy — “Apple Pie”
Highly recommended.
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