Jersey Beat reviews FVRMN’s Suicides album

Thanks to Paul Silver at Jersey Beat for the kind words about FVRMN’s Suicides album.

“FVRMN, a Tokyo-based band, play thick, noisy, distorted indie rock. It’s lo-fi with a gritty sound, yet underneath it’s soft, smooth, and melodic. The melodies are poppy, the rhythms bouncy, yet the instrumentals are concentrated and impenetrable. Frontman J Holmes must listen to a lot of old jazz, because the circle of fifths chord change pattern is prominent in some of the songs. One such song is “Parasitic Sympathy,” a song with dense guitars, angst-filled lead vocals, and haunting backing vocals. “Moloch,” too, has those wonderful chord changes, and Holmes’ scratchy vocals tug at the heart. “French Uhuru” has this a bit, too. It’s a nice loping tune which also features guitars and keyboards that sound like violins. Outliers include the ballad, “Too Innocent” and “Invitation Phase.” The latter starts out clean and jangly before the distortion comes in, creating a lovely quiet period of reflection. And perhaps the most exciting track is the final one, “Razorblade.” It’s got a powerful anthemic punk rock quality to it. As I said in my review of their previous LP, “Back to the Whip,” FVRMN have a sound that’s pretty unique and very worth your while.”