Given the amount of disdain and mockery that’s been heaped on top of it, emo has proven to be a remarkably resilient genre. Depending on who you talk to and how much stock you put into arbitrary and semi-vague historical analysis, we’re currently experiencing our fourth or fifth wave of the stuff with no particular end in sight. Perhaps that’s because when done well, few styles articulate the awkwardness of youth, the tension of fragile relationships, and the insecurities of burgeoning identities as compellingly as emo. As long as there remains a wealth of relatively young music lovers caught in emotionally combustible states, there will be some sort of audience for infectious songs about loneliness, getting drunk, staying true to one’s self, and romantic fuck ups. Emo forever, right?!
Atlanta’s Fairlane enter this fray as one of the city’s standard-bearers for the genre, a group that also includes local stalwarts like post-hardcore heroes Blis. and Microwave. The group’s latest EP, a tidy four-song affair called WIRIS, has been available on Bandcamp since last December, but the band is only now getting around to celebrate its release. That’s fine by us because, to be honest, it’s a bit of shame we didn’t get to this record sooner.
Fair warning: If you’re looking for surprises or innovation here, it’s likely best that you move on. Because, really, you should already know what to expect — relatively short, emotionally charged songs that continually criss-cross the line between introspective and self-obsessed. Musically, the band excels at everything that has come to be defined as the trappings of the genre — soft/loud dynamics, sturdy choruses, and earnest, anthemic vocals that urge you to sing-along (opener “Yew” is basically a case study in how to write a modern emo single).
And perhaps because of that sense of proficiency, these songs never seem to lose their cool. Even Fairlane’s most aggressive and explosive riffs (see the closings of “My Moral Compass” and “Sediment”) feel calculated and well-measured. You might think that would lend WIRIS an air of wooden complacency, but instead it feels elegantly restrained and smartly executed. There is a natural balance to these songs that’s critical, and at no point does any one player overstep their bounds. This includes frontman Blake Gamel who delivers his heartfelt screeds without sounding needy or preachy, a minor miracle given the many pitfalls post-hardcore and emo allow for.
These aren’t songs that are going to set the world on fire, but that’s not exactly the point here. I’m impressed by the group’s subtlety and their ability to transition from a stormy rocker like “My Moral Compass” to a vulnerable post-rock instrumental like “Manatee” that carries with it shades of legacy heavyweights like Sunny Day Real Estate and Mineral. This isn’t something that I would turn to often, but, then again, I’m not the target audience. Fairlane have crafted a solid EP with depth and conviction, and for that they should be applauded.
WIRIS is available now as a name your price download via Bandcamp.
Fairlane will celebrate the release of the WIRIS EP tonight at WonderRoot. Supporting them will be Blis., Word Travels Fast, Ringfinger, Dog Years, and Femignome. Doors open at 7 p.m. $5 gets you in.
More Info
Bandcamp: fairlaneatl.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @fairlaneatl
Twitter: @fairlanesucks