“burnt lips when the wind blows / black tint on the windows
I can’t see what the future holds / but I wanna know…”
There’s something so honest, so earnest about The Faim’s sound, you can’t help but feel it. They wear their musical influences on their sleeves, you can see the heart inside the music. Yet their sound is their own, they’ve built it up on single after single, leading to the Summer Is A Curse EP. It’s no wonder we’ve got a new sonic crush.
The EP kicks off with the title track, which completely sucks you in—ominous strings give way to percussive piano and then the lyrics take over, telling us the future isn’t promised and we have to live full throttle right now. It’s a call to action. “Summer Is A Curse” is anthemic but also moving. That vibe is the perfect set up for the third track, a full blown piano ballad called “Make Believe”. The tune is expansive and pleading and full. “I want to feel something…cause I don’t want to be make believe.” Hands up if you’ve felt that way. That’s The Faim’s gift, they know how we feel and they make music that forms a connection to us.
“A Million Stars” and “I Can Feel You” with their respective London rock and pop-rock stylings keep the flow. You’ll nod your head to both but then the EP takes a swing. We suddenly end up on a stage that both Queen and Brendon Urie are known for. “My Heart Needs To Breathe” is theactrial in the best way. It starts out as a lullaby then switches gears going from rhythmic shouting to four part harmony on the hook, to an actual choir singing oohs while frontman Josh Raven sings “Get the fuck in, babe, or get the fuck out”. This track is such a good time, it gets you amped for what comes next.
What comes next is the final track. “When It Comes” is 80s (or should we say 1975) inspired rock and it’s a sweet one. Either a relationship or, maybe, the world is falling apart and no matter how we feel about it over is over. Summer Is A Curse is all about our wants and desires, how we strive for something better, and that’s why it’s a keeper. The Faim have created a kind of sorcery with addictive beats and indie-rock-pop magic—and if that’s a curse it’s a very good one.
Buy It, Stream It, or Skip It? Buy It and feed your newest addiction.
