A coldwave label releasing something a touch away from their general radar is sometimes enough reason to give something at least a quick listen. Funeral Party have their own fans rightfully so, for a lot of their output so hearing that they are putting out the debut album of a dark post-punk act from the Bay Area, obviously better known for its thrash output over the years, is certainly enough to pique the interest. Labelled as a mix of French coldwave, European post-punk and early shoegaze, it was time to see if that mix lived up to its billing…
In honesty, it actually doesn’t sound as unique as it is billed, but then that’s pretty hard to do when you bear in mind those musical movements started around 40 years ago, so have had plenty of time to develop and divide across those years. That isn’t to say that it’s run of the mill, as that would definitely be misleading – I would certainly have no qualms in trying to break it into my sets at the goth reunion nights I DJ at, despite a lot of the clientele there demanding ye olde pvre goth – just that the sound is not as far out of there as the blurb first indicated to me.
Vocally there is certainly a feel of The Normal, with a similar demeanour and delivery as on their seminal output ‘Warm Leatherette’, while the bass lines and drumming are certainly reminiscent of early Sisters of Mercy, with a quite ‘Marian’ or ‘Alice’ feel to the bass overlaid with The Cure like guitar tones, though mixed in a manner that comes across as sympathetic to their forebearers rather than wholescale ripping off their sound in any way. ‘Sherbert’ is an excellent example of these, while lead singles ‘Pictured Perfect’ and ‘Good Talks’ follow on from this, though showcase slightly different approaches from the band in terms of pace and feel, giving Fearing an opportunity to broaden their writing and output in a manner that suits them well.
Overall, it’s a pretty good release, certainly so for a debut album and shows that they have a good understanding and songwriting ability between the different members of the band. The music sounds true to the old school and should prove to be of interest for those whose musical tastes lie in Sisters of Mercy, The Cure, The Normal, Joy Divison or any of their ilk. While they are hardly genre-defining by any stretch, it is a more than competent piece of work that gives Fearing a good foundation to spring forth from, if they can get their sophomore release right.
- ‘Shadow’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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