In Review:

Farewell Dear Ghost

We Colour the Night

When one finds a new artist they really start to dig, the first step is to look them up--scope out their Facebook and Twitter, sample their discography, watch some videos or read their interviews. All of this was grueling to obtain when it came to getting to know a bit more about Farewell Dear Ghost.

After a couple of days searching the web for background on the band I stumbled across a few interviews of the surfacing act. The up-and-coming Austrian band, which is lead by Philip Szalay, was originally a solo act until he chose to take his musical career in a different direction and experiment with his sound alongside a band. In November 2013,Farewell Dear Ghost's debut album We Colour the Night dropped in Europe. The album muses trailblazers The National and English rockers Bloc Party with Philip’s vocals providing a cue to the lyrics he calls “optimistic melancholy” which can be adequately said of his musical inspirations. His writing stems from every bit of emotion and experience, he tells an interviewer for the Redbull music site in response to comments made about his “sad” lines. 

The first single “Fire” starts off buttery, with lightly distorted vocals—smooth as water. Then the track flips 180° and transforms into a pounding, energetic rock anthem. Other tracks like “Words” and “Cool Blood” slow burn all the alternative elements reminiscent of The Boxer Rebellion with heavy drums and contemporary guitar solos. The sound is understated, simple and refreshing in this day and age of genre smashing and risky experiments with synth and bass. It could be called “safe”, but for the listener indifferent about the fluff We Colour the Night hones in on all the qualities giving heavy hitting indie-alternative bands like The National and Bloc Party their musical longevity. Farewell Dear Ghost’s album digitally debuted in North America this past January and, unfortunately, the group hasn’t made any plans to tour in the US for the Spring. In regards to the group being so recent to the music scene it may have been difficult to find information on them, but there is nothing lost in translation when it comes to FDG’s promising musical path.