Some songs make you feel like you’re in a movie. It’s a commonly inexplicable feeling, whether it’s how the sound engulfs you, the energy of the vocals, or the way the lyrics happen to relate to your exact situation – there are just some songs that give off that walk-through-the-forest-with-your-hood-up, look-out-a-rainy-window type of main character energy. Fright Years garner that same all-consuming feeling on their latest single, the slow burn epic “Evil”.
Following in the footsteps of many great rock groups that have come before them (Talking Heads, Pink Floyd), Fright Years met at art school. That influence is clear in their music, with earlier singles like “Another Life” and “Every Weekend” utilizing pop synth patterns mixed with bright guitar melodies. Now, Fright Years are firmly committed to their version of alt-rock, with “Evil” solidifying its sound: arena-ready ballads mixed with an overflow of shoegaze-adjacent guitar and synth.
“Evil” opens with tight guitar and kit, with lead singer Jules’ reverb-heavy vocals taking the lead. The instrumentation builds as the track enters its first chorus, with fuzzed and distorted guitars creating an intensity that becomes the song’s driving force. Anthemic synths and cymbal-heavy drums add another layer to the climbing energy. Entering the second verse, Fright Years play with tension through sonic highs and lows; the overwhelming crunch of the guitar from the chorus turns into complimentary melodies glittered between lyrics. The delay and reverb on the guitar create an almost faraway sound to the riffs, evoking “Sex”-era The 1975 with that quintessential 2010s indie rock sound shining through.
