The Faim are back and this time they’ve got an artistic monochrome live video for your viewing pleasure. Extreme close-ups and slow-mo shots mirror the pace of the chanting choral introduction and vocally led first verse. Still, clues to the imminent emo onslaught are there; see the black painted nails reaching out from the crowd, and Stephen Beerkens stalking the stage brandishing his bass like a hunter ready to strike.
When the chorus kicks in, strobe lights and beats get a brief look in but the chanting fights back for aural dominance. The second verse has picked up the pace, though. Faster editing conveys the sense of movement also evident in the lyrics: “Salvation’s hard to find/When you’re running, running, running.”
The Faim’s epic emo singalong nature is soon revealed, like a blend of Panic! At The Disco, Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance. Being punk derived, under two minutes in and it’s already time for the middle eight. There’s a Brady Bunch style split screen for the inevitable introspective bit.
The smiles on the fans’ faces are infectious as singer Josh Raven climbs over the barrier to experience the exuberance of the final chorus out there with them. It takes two mics to handle the venom spit coda. It’s so fast and furious that it can take a few listens to get the teen suicide implications: “Face to the sky and she’s finding herself/Screaming ‘Is there any way out?’/All the aching and shaking/From all the pills that she’s taken/While Amelie puts a gun in her mouth.”
That shock twist comes with a hard stop. It’s punctuated with The Faim’s striking ‘TF’ logo that’s sure to become familiar to any modern day emo fan.
While several strong songs from the band’s recent EP didn’t make it to their debut album, Amelie earned its place. They also earned their place on a U.S. tour with Andy Black, and slots at Reading and Leeds Festival 2019.
Amelie is out now on all your favourite digital platforms.