Every so often, one of the Immersive team’s favorite bands shares something from the vaults. In this particularly spectacular case, it’s Femignome’s new digital release of Dark Powers, a lo-fi odds and ends collection which was previously only available on tape. For those who need a refresher, Femignome was the brainchild of guitarist/vocalist Anna Jacobson (currently of the Big Heed) who founded the garage pop duo with her sister Kate back in the halcyon days of 2013. After Kate left the band, Roderick Davis took up drumming duties for a brief stint before the group finally disbanded in 2016.

Cover art for Femignome's Dark Powers

In addition to being adored by our staff, the band was a personal touchstone for my early years of living in Atlanta. Not only were they one of the first projects I covered when I joined Immersive, they were one of the first bands I shared a stage with as a young, untethered musician who spent every waking moment wondering if they’d made the right decision to leave the midwest and pursue art in an unknown city and scene. Along with a few other musicians (special shout out to Yancey Ballard and John Pierce), Jacobson was a voice of encouragement who provided an inlet into a community that was foreign to me.

In the long four years since Femignome released their debut LP Anxt, my realization of their importance to both myself and to Atlanta’s DIY scene of the 2010s has only grown. The indispensable nature of the project revolves around Jacobson’s ability to bewitch the listener with a mix of pop hooks and reflective heart-on-sleeve lyrics. Despite the cutesy cartoon overtones, Femignome was always a vehicle for the songwriter to confront her own personal struggles, a darkness which never lurked too far beneath the surface. This disarming convergence of twee energy with emotional tribulation made the group’s music both gripping and digestible.

Dark Powers relays the same delicate mixture with an added dynamism thanks to the stripped-down nature of the recording. Beguiling tape hiss condenses a world of color into a black and white vacuum and adds authority to each jangly cut. The stumbling syncopation of songs like “Close to You” and “Your Heart Will be Mine” confront the listener with an intensity and purity which recall Daniel Johnston. Nearly every track transports the listener to a fantasy land where escapism and catharsis duel, but the shadows of the real world always lie in wait. After all, when the masks come off and the fairy dust dissipates, nothing proves more bewildering than the dark powers confronted in daily existence.

More Info
Bandcamp: femignome1.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @femignome
Instagram: @femignome
SoundCloud: @femignome
Twitter: @femignomeband