FreeFall., the Swansea-based indie/alt-rock outfit, are making waves with their debut EP, Fire, released on September 12th. In just a year, they’ve gone from grassroots beginnings to playing the O2 Academy, earning BBC Introducing airplay, and amassing over 70,000 streams. Their sound brings post-punk grit along with the best of indie rock, and sends a socially conscious message.
The EP kicks off with its title track, “Fire,” an energetic cut driven by bustling drums and splashing cymbals that instantly pull listeners into a head-nodding groove. The chorus hooks us with its catchy lines, driven in a single breath, as the lead vocalist’s thick voice and persistent delivery carry each line into the next emphatically. It’s FreeFall.’s statement opener.
Then comes a more vulnerable entry, “Head’s Underwater,” as the guitars chime and shimmer brightly, as the soundscape shakes with the jittery percussion. The singer shows us his more emotive side, as he softens his raspy edge into something heartfelt. When the chorus comes, “When the waves come crashing down, keep getting older, head’s underwater,” the singer gets behind the relentless challenges that come with the years and circumstances. But, the narrator shows that he’s growing with the challenges, as he climbs on the stepping stones, as he sings, “This time, I will be okay,” embodying his resilience.
The closer “Changing” lays bare the disillusionment of the population, as it opens with melodic winding guitars and restless rhythms. Its lyrics cut to the bone of inequality, as can be vividly heard in the lines, “The rich get richer, drinking from a pitcher filled with a beggar’s tears,” when he throws a gut-punch metaphor that crystallizes modern class struggles. The chorus, “It all keeps changing, every little thing you know,” rounds out the collective frustration and generational uncertainty, which ends up draining the youth, leaving them hopeless.
Altogether, Fire is fiery and thoughtful as an unflinching debut coming from FreeFall. Check them out on Spotify.
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Review by: Naomi Joan