BRENTON NEWCOMB
Staff Writer
Last week, Fernway released their long-awaited second EP: “Welcome to the Ground.” On the EP, the group channels popular alternative group, The 1975, and infuses many different styles including funk, jazz and punk to create a cohesive work that solidifies their sound and achieves their goal of redefining “The sonic landscape of traditional rock.” The result is a unique and interesting sound for them. Sweetjoy: The opening track, “Sweetjoy,” opens with a quiet, building ambiance that resolves into a funky, punk tune. The tune has all of the elements that fans enjoy about the group including a catchy chorus and a blistering solo. It also fuses all of the different genres that the band draws from later in the album.
I Have to Return Some Video Tapes: This is possibly one of the most indie rock songs on the EP. The song is soft, funky and catches the listener’s ear from the opening guitar line. Listening closely, you can also hear some funky slap bass playing on the pre-chorus. Another treat is the delayed saxophone solo on the breakdown/outro. I think the actual song minus the outro feels a little short for what I was hoping for, but is still of great songwriting.
Half-Life: Falling in the middle of the album, “Half-Life” could probably be the theme song for Fernway, which translates from German to “an ache for distant places.” This song solidifies the funk element heard throughout the album and the breakdown is bound to get your head shaking.
Endwell: Probably the most delicate song on the album, “Endwell” is an emotional and dreamlike ballad that kicks in like an ‘80s hair band song. Front man and guitarist RJ Demarco sings in a falsetto croon, “You keep me safe” all throughout the tune. It wouldn’t be an ‘80s-style ballad without the melodic shredding guitar solo that wraps the song up.
Big.Bad.Ugly: This was one of the first singles released from the EP and is one of the heaviest songs on the album. The tune takes on a piano-like beat on the verses before speeding up during the chorus. The outro dramatically wraps up the album.
I thoroughly enjoyed every song on the EP. In fact, I was left wishing the EP would be longer, especially since only three of the tunes on it were unheard before this listen-through. Despite this, the EP was masterfully produced and the songs all had something unique to offer. To me, the most enjoyable part of the music was the funk element infused in almost every track.