Fenech-Soler - ZILLA
- Written by Gareth Hack
Northamptonshire electropop group Fenech-Soler, start 2017 with a fresh record that is crammed with affirmative hooks and smoothed-out, beach-vibe beats.
ZILLA is the longing for warmer months to reappear after the recent bitterness and gloom. An album that at times harnesses every possible exaggerated pop attribute, but somehow digs a little deeper and experiments with tempo variation and instrumentation. Repetitive guitar flicks add to the diversity of many of ZILLA’s tracks. Many of which tend to be heavily driven by the use of synth punches that break through the pulses that create the song’s straightforward assembly.
This combination at times can feel slightly too Eurovision with the involvement of heavy breath vocals that often sound overproduced. However, this is without a doubt an electronic, dance, pop, and at times even indie sounding record so, the vocals are inputted within the album regardless of style preferences.
That said, Fenech-Soler have managed to balance out the record fairly well. The darker side of the group are apparent in ‘Cold Light’, with it’s opening clean guitar gallop that moves nicely into a euphoric climax and shows that this act can produce.
There are moments on ZILLA that aren't intended to be solely infectious and these particular aspects are worth realising. ‘Grace’ and ‘From Afar’ are tell tale signs that the electropop branding that Fenech-Soler seem to have gained may be too limiting for their own good. They are clearly capable of creating a variation of sounds that in turn, generate a contrast of emotions and reactions.
With all of its disparity and brief snippets of ambient sparkle, ZILLA is a record that both frustrates and fulfills. Some tracks edge their way uneasily towards falling in the squeaky clean and unoriginal category, while others sound as though there is a gloomier intention that lies beneath the polished surface, just waiting for an opportunity to be recognised.