Let The Faim Introduce Themselves
Written by Chelsea Tiso
Graphic by Emily Lantzy
Australian four-piece band The Faim are set to release their debut album State of Mind on September 13th. The band have been working on their debut for a few years now, enlisting the professional expertise of multi-instrumentalists Pete Wentz (Fall Out Boy), Mark Hoppus (Blink 182), Josh Dun (Twenty One Pilots) and Ashton Irwin (5 Seconds of Summer). I was given the absolute pleasure of hearing the album before it was released to the masses.
One thing that immediately came to mind as soon as the catchy and rock-fuelled guitar riff, played by Samuel Tye, came in was that The Faim know how to get their fans to dance.
The racing guitar and pop-signature claps at the beginning of “Tongue Tied” complement each other perfectly as the song opens. Josh Raven’s vocals emulate the anticipation of the album and the vulnerability that comes with releasing your debut album. Almost reminiscent of the rich vocals of Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump and the distorted high pitched transition reminiscent of Panic! At The Disco, “Tongue Tied” utilises many intricate and different techniques to keep the song playing in the listeners head.
The track “Humans” begins with folky whistling accompanied by the consistent guitar riff that provides the basis for the song to gradually build. The message being put across of everyone being human with lines like “Love is only painful when it lies,” perfectly set up by the pre-chorus. This pre-chorus in this song provided a sonic break for the listener to be able to fully appreciate the impactful and driving chorus. Linden Marissen’s ability to provide the strong and hard-hitting rhythm section along with the Stephen Beerkens’ hearty bass playing that gets to be fully appreciated by the audience during the bridge perfectly syncopates to create the perfect harmony.
“Summer is a Curse,” written with fellow Australia native and 5 Seconds of Summer drummer Ashton Irwin and released in autumn of 2017, already holds a place in the hearts of The Faim’s fanbase. The lead track on their previous EP begins with a soaring orchestral sound that soon has its role replaced by a consistent and repetitive piano riff. This riff becomes a staple of the song as it underlines the verses and pre-chorus where Josh Raven’s voice shifts from the delicate verses to the racing hook.
Vocal range in this song shows just how diverse The Faim is. They’ve set out to purposefully challenge themselves to write an album that sets the stage for the future of their art. By having tracks like “Beautiful Drama” on the same album as “Where the River Runs” display just how different and inventive these musicians are.
Instantly, the piano intro in “Where The River Runs,” played by Stephen Beerkens, underlines the entire song and goes hand in hand with the sombre lyrics emulating the son’s experience of living in a broken home. This particular song stands out on the album because of how it subverts the expectation for the Faim to stay in a specific box. This track, whilst sonically simple, contains complex yet universal lyrics that will help many people through similar circumstances.
Ironically, the last song of the album, “State of Mind,” begins with the line “Let me introduce myself.” The title track of the album sounds like the perfect closer. It’s unapologetically vulnerable and each component of its musicality is perfectly uniform as if the entire message of the album is being summarised in this one track. “Effectively, we all seem to doubt ourselves” could be a message to the fans, but also a reflective message to the four-piece telling them that it’s okay to step out of their comfort zone.
Overall, I genuinely believe that The Faim is the next alt band to watch. Their debut album is incredibly strong and showcases their current sound as well as draws our attention to the possibility of a brand new sound. Who knows? Maybe The Faim will be the next big alternative band.