FAIRCHILD - EP REVIEW


FAIRCHILD - EP REVIEW
Fairchild - Arcadia EP

Fairchild - Arcadia EP

Release Date - 25th March 2013

It's been a little while since I've had the time to sit down and get any blogging done so I was really excited about the prospect of an inbox full of audio treats to wrap my ears around like a single girl with a box of chocolates on valentine's day.  The first selection I made was a six piece from Australia's Gold Coast by the name of Fairchild - recently changed from Fairchild Republic which I think is a good move as they now sound less like a conceited clothing store for the impossibly thin and constipated - and what a selection it was! The opening and title track of this EP is sumptuous slice if indie-pop-rock that is instantly infectious and fits in neatly alongside Vampire Weekend, Maccabees, Foals, Peace or Two Door Cinema Club. What makes this stand out though is the voice of singer Adam Lyons which has the texture of velvet, the allure of hot tub on a cold day but the impact of a Kangaroo punch to the diaphragm. Vocally and stylistically Lyons is somewhere in the Brandon Boyd league of singers which is no bad thing in my book.

'Stay Young' is an anthemically intentioned song that never quite delivers on its promise but is nonetheless better than anything produced by the Feeling, Snow Patrol or Keane in recent years. 'Outside' is full of delicate guitars, swoopy synths and crashing cymbals but, again, it feels like an album track rather than anything more vital. Final track, 'Running Bear', has more intrigue about it with a dark and sparse electro intro that draws you in immediately before the song starts to build in to something bigger, something better. Elements of the Killers or alt-pop acts like Kimbra and Robyn are clearly there but these 6 gentleman are hanging on to Indie for dear life and I think that might be what's holding them back. For years, I've been waiting for a really good pop act to come along that do justice to the genre without being a manufactured abomination or a flash in the pan. I feel like Fairchild have the ability to be that pop act but it depends on whether they have the guts. Like openly gay sportsmen, unashamed pop acts are rare but fantastic things.

More information:
https://www.facebook.com/wearefairchild    

Live Dates:
4th April - Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane (w/ Nantes + Battleships)

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