EP: Fiction ‘Instant Memories’

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Fiction are back… Two years after their critically acclaimed debut album, The Big Other, the dream pop five-piece from London have released an EP, Instant Memories, which explores the chasm between the surreal and everyday, all the while toying with the idea that “nothing is new”.

‘Half Yawning’ kicks off the EP, with flanging guitars, new wave bass and even the philosophical ideas of a man layered over the top; a feature found within Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of The Moon. On the surface, the song is “nothing new”; there is however, something subtextually refreshing in the satirical lyrics.

The second track, ‘Best Before’, opens with wailing guitar and choral vocals, reminiscent of a barren wasteland; fitting with the single’s artwork which depicts an astronaut in a vast open space. The energetic drums pave the way through the wasteland, allowing the intricately layered guitars to freely fill the soundscape.

The title of the third track is named after self-proclaimed Jewish Messiah, Sabbatai Zevi. A fun number that flirts with the idea of futurism, ‘Sabbatai Zevi’ is a humorously trivialised view of the end of the world upon a backdrop of swirling synth and guitars.

‘What To Say’ is by far the most electronic-influenced and vocal prominent track on the EP. Driven with a tight electronic drum kit and floaty synths – vocalist Mike Barrett delivers lines such as “the floor and the ceiling don’t care”, again accentuating the apathy in the physical world. The song is at first comparable to Hot Chip with high-pitched vocals and controlled instrumentation, yet soon explodes into an Orange Juice-esque break.

‘Take Those Glasses Off’ further consolidates the ethereal feel. With warbling bass and layer upon layer of synth, the listener soon forgets everything around them. Barrett’s refrain, “If it’s real or not I don’t care”, links into the future where “memory is commodified” and where surreality is just as important as reality.

Although self-referential to the idea of being trapped within recycled trends, Fiction themselves have developed upon existing ideals and shifted dream pop into 2015 and beyond.

Instant Memories is out now.

Tom Lawrence
@anteadotes
Tom Lawrence

Tom Lawrence

Tom Lawrence

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