Catchy pop-rock anyone? You have come to the right place.
It isn’t hard to say that Aussie pop-rockers are headed for big things. With Summer Is A Curse the band take one of their biggest hits and five new tracks and wrap you up in a blanket of pop goodness.
“To say we’re excited about releasing this EP is an understatement. More than just songs, to us these 6 tracks are a window into our world. We’ve been overwhelmed by the support of the community around us and welcome you all on this beautiful journey. We’re proud to be able to share our music with you and hope you enjoy listening as much as we’ve enjoyed writing it. Love THE FAIM” The band had announced on their social media.
Over the last few months, The Faim have been cooking up a storm in the UK with appearances at Reading & Leeds Festival, Slam Dunk Festival as well as several support slots, winning UK pop-rock hearts one show at a time.
Comprised of six tracks, Summer Is A Curse will take you on a journey of where this band’s strength lies: catchy anthems, infectious hooks and lead-singer Josh Raven’s iconic vocals. All songs on the EP were recorded with legendary producer, John Feldmann (blink-182, All Time Low, Good Charlotte), and serve as a prelude to the band’s hotly-anticipated first full-length album, slated for release in 2019. During the recording process, the five-piece teamed up with industry staples including Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy (on “Saints Of The Sinners), Josh Dun of Twenty One Pilots, Mark Hoppus of blink-182, and Ashton Irwin of 5 Seconds of Summer (on “Summer Is A Curse”).
The EP starts off with a bang, a bang in the shape of Summer Is A Curse. It’s pop-rock at its finest and has shaped the band’s identity alongside singles Midland Line and Saints Of The Sinners. For Summer Is A Curse the band teamed up with pop-punk icons Josh Dun (TOP), Mark Hoppus (blink-182) and Ashton Irwin (5SOS). And the result is a song that’ll get stuck in your head for days, just like pop-punk should. If you put Josh Raven’s intense vocals on top of that, you have a recipe for success (and a total banger).
A Million Stars is wonderfully pop-y and has a killer chorus, you can practically feel yourself lying underneath the stars. Towards the end, the song gets the ultimate vacation treatment with the RnB beats on the bridge. You may argue that it’s a bit messy, but remember Simple Plan’s Summer Paradise? The one with Sean Paul. It had some reggae beats in it (well, a lot of reggae beats) and it’s still one of the best summer tunes to grace your playlist for sunny days. And the more you listen to A Million Stars, the more you love it.
Then, get ready to have your heartstrings pulled because Make Believe is next up on your list. Once again Raven’s voice will drill its way right into your heart. Only backed by finger snapping at times, that’s when it truly shines. The chorus is a little over-produced and would have even more impact without the synths, and just the bass. But then you’d be an emotional mess, so maybe we need to thank the boys for saving our fragile little hearts.
I Can Feel You is another track you can add to your summer playlist – it reminds of Fall Out Boys’ latest effort MANIA. In this song the band perfectly demonstrate their ability to reach both pop and indie rock audiences. It’s radio-friendly rock, and they don’t shy away from that as some bands do.
Now, let’s talk about My Heart Needs To Breathe, because quite honestly so does ours after this song. Give us a minute, The Faim, catching our breath here. That chorus is shout-along material at its finest and shows the band’s musical influence without losing their identity.
Your emotional rollercoaster comes to a close with last track When It Comes. Probably one of the weakest songs on Summer Is A Curse, but by no means a bad one. It nicely brings you down from that high of all the feels and leaves you with a chilled-out melody and relaxing beats.
If you were to critique anything on this EP it’s that it’s a shame the band don’t stick a bit more to their rock roots, because they do deliver a killer live show. But as any new band they are still finding their sound so we should all give them a break and just enjoy the hook-laden debut EP that is Summer Is A Curse.
Don’t forget, the boys are supporting Against The Current on their upcoming UK tour!
High Fives & Stage Dives 