New York’s Fairgrounds and Boston’s The Dirty Looks team up to produce this forthcoming split, showcasing the crops of the finest music from their respective regions.
The EP starts with Fairgrounds contributions to the split. Opener Embrace (featuring Billy Restivo of Grandview) starts off with the faint reverb trills of guitar laced by the occasional crashing wall of bold guitars. The introduction launches into an abrupt shift of tone, throwing listeners off with an intriguing unsettling chord progression together with vocalist/guitarist Zachary Brown’s declaration of cynicism with "every lie you said to me reeled me before you cast me out to sea ...". Embrace couples a twinge of intricate and melodic punk coating an abrasive hardcore interior, sonically marrying the entities of Such Gold and Thieves.
First single Foundation follows up on the gains left from the impression of Embrace with a mixture of chilling textures and striking melodies. The chorus of Foundation wedges itself inside your head from the accurate poignancy with its words of "direction is not set in stone, it's a river that flows and if you're not strong you'll drown...". The band successfully emulates the sentiment of turmoil in Foundation with the array of sounds that gradually envelopes the listeners.
Fairgrounds and The Dirty Looks uphold and stick to the etiquette of the archaic medium of split records, as both bands offer differentiating spectrums of pop punk, providing a glimpse into the progression of the niche and more specifically where the state of punk is heading.
The Dirty Looks' contribution to the split starts with Boston. The Dirty Looks scream of the promise of eventual domination from the authenticity of the track. Sheer euphoria is evoked in the repeated infectious chorus of "boy, you worry about the worst things, you know...". The vocals are astronomically distinct and are projected to an enchanting resonance within the harmonies.
Closer on the split Havana is apt closing the doors on the parallels of the abundance of melody prevalent on the split. Havana pushes the envelope of melodic punk with its blunt and grunge-esque lick and perfectly-executed pop sensibilities hidden within the song.
Fairgrounds and The Dirty Looks collectively set out to document the trajectory of the notion of progression evident within pop punk. Historically, splits have tended to chronicle a significant period sonically form both bands and this split never distances itself from this notion.
Tracklist:
Fairgrounds
1. Embrace (Feat. Billy Restivo of Grandview)
2. Foundation
The Dirty Looks
3. Boston
4. Havana
Rating:
Written by Aaron Akeredolu
Fairgrounds
The Dirty Looks
