Faint On Call and their team are like a greatest hits album on their own. Featuring some of Grunge’s legends, like Tobias Hawkins, of Counting Crows fame, and Cristian Hernandez who spent much of the 00s touring with the fantastic Onesidezero. The production of their upcoming album is also executed by the infamous Sylvia Massy who works extensively with no less than Tool. Harpoon is the 2nd single released from their upcoming record, and it’s an appetizer that got my senses hungry for more.
Harpoon is insanely punchy, charismatic, dark, and cool. It’s got a thrilling sound that serves as a reminder that Rock can’t really die, as it is an undeniably old sound, yet so compelling that it’s difficult to imagine a world where music this characterful would be obsolete.
The riff that starts the song is massive, sludgy, and distorted to oblivion. It makes a return to one of the most thrilling Rock riffs that I’ve heard in recent times. With this gigantic riff acting as a base for a manic arrangement of crazed, dissonant group chants, dense, heavy-handed beats, and a foreboding, deep hitting bass. The bass is notable throughout the song; melodic, bouncy, with a delicious tone, and an immaculate performance. The guitar riffs are messy and full of soulful imperfections, courtesy of the amazing David Rodriguez, and the lead chops later in the song are tight and endlessly cool.
With a roster of players as illustrious as the ones in Faint On Call, the music is bound to be special. Harpoon is perfectly special. A song that’s incredibly smart and catchy, traditional, yet dizzyingly fresh and modern, with intriguing lyrics, and haunting soundscapes. This San Francisco super group is definitely one to look out for.
