Review by Shannon Shumaker
Perth four piece, The Faim went into creating their debut full-length album, State of Mind with the goal to step out of their comfort zone, and it’s safe to say that they have succeeded. While the album serves as a perfect follow-up to the bands 2018 EP, Summer is a Curse with explosive songs like opening track, “Tongue Tied,” massive “Beautiful Drama” and the anthemic “Amelie,” is also finds The Faim exploring new sounds and pushing boundaries on more emotional, stripped down tracks than fans have come to expect. The result is a very well-rounded debut full-length that shows promise for the future.
Kicking off State of Mind is “Tongue Tied,” which serves as the perfect opener, giving you an idea of what to expect from the rest of the album. However, that’s not to say that the rest of the album is predictable by any means. While the entirety of State of Mind has a haunting vibe about it and multiple songs find the band playing to the massive, catchy choruses that caught fans’ attention to begin with, they don’t just rely on familiar songwriting patterns and sounds to coast on this album. “Humans” for instance might follow the same formula as the band’s massive hit, “Summer is a Curse,” but “Beautiful Drama” arrives just in time to slow things down a little bit and change the course of the album. That, coupled with songs like the synth driven pop ballad “Infamous” really showcase The Faim’s versatility.
The strongest moments on the album come when you think the band is going to go right, and instead, they go left. For instance, following the massive “Amelie,” you’d expect some more massive tracks to bring State of Mind to an epic conclusion, but instead, the band follows the track with the poppy as hell “Words Apart” and the emotional, stripped down song, “Where The River Runs.”
Closing with the theatrical title track, State of Mind takes everything that fans have come to love and expect from The Faim and simply expands it. These songs don’t necessarily feel like a massive departure from Summer is a Curse, but it’s clear that The Faim aren’t playing it safe, either. Instead, these ten songs find the band testing the boundaries of their sound, surely paving the way for future releases.
LISTEN TO: “Amelie” and “ Humans”
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