Faux Depart: demo cassette

Description

For real though, I think this tape is great. Generously prescribed as a proud bastard son of Wire, Minor Threat, the Wipers and Devo (more so Wipers, if you ask me), Faux Dpart not only makes heavy nods towards the aforementioned influences through the quirky songwriting and a palpable level of energy to match it, but also throws their own lighter, poppier spin on it to keep the sounds air of aggression, angst, and anxiety at a minimum, assuring that your toes are forever tapping in contempt of whatever message the song is trying to convey. While some songs are supposedly written in regards to introspective matters such as being a loser in a cold, shitty town, getting rejected by a girl you like, or poseurs the group hates, these songs sound far too upbeat for me to assume thatd ever be the case even if DID know a lick of French, no sort of lyricism would be able to detract from how goddamn tantalizing these songs are. I aint all too educated as to whats going on over in France, but consider me fuckin enlightened, because this three-piece sure as hell knows how to rock it. –Jimmy

Our take: Debut cassette from this French band, and its a shame that its not on vinyl (at least not yet), because its more fully realized than a lot of proper full-lengths I hear these days. The recording is great, the songs are extremely well developed, and theres more than enough material here for a 12 record, so heres hoping some enterprising label gets on it. Stylistically, Faux Depart are in the same broad category as bands like the Marked Men; like the Marked Men, Faux Depart play in a classic, upbeat melodic punk style, though Faux Depart have a bit more 77-era punk in their DNA. Indeed, if youre not overly fussed about your 77-style bands having vintage-sounding production, fans of old European melodic punk like Ivy Green or Hubble Bubble will absolutely love this. Definitely one of the best cassette releases weve gotten in a while, and very highly recommended if youre a fan of this catchy, pop-inflected punk sound.