F.Y.E provides various pathways to escape stressful realities with the release of their latest album titled, “Splinter”. This album begins with the song, “Bummer Cigarette”, a track that combines alternative instrumentation with a focused and fresh delivery. This approach provides an edgy, yet melodic vibe. “E, PT. 2” is a cool addition to “Splinter” because it gives listeners a hint of classic age garage rock combined with hard-hitting drum rhythm. F.Y.E. then layers vintage and electrifying guitar riffs into the music for a satisfying rendition. The vocalization from F.Y.E is piercing and has a cool, rasp element. It is the tone(s) of his voice that makes this song more badass!
“Cloudy Sky’s” is a more delightful arrangement. “Cloudy Sky’s” helps the listener imagine a highway road trip with old friends, more good people, good vibes, and of course good music! It’s an upbeat and joyful song that’s great for traveling. The next song, “Chapter 2: Without You” has strong emotional conviction, with smashing instrumentation that keeps the alternative edgy rock aesthetic of the album firmly in place. Percussion soaked drums and sublime vocal delivery produces a warm welcome in the song. You can vibe with the lyrics and just feel the song call you away.
“Teenage Love” is more groovy and funky than F.Y.E.’s other songs. Rhythm is headbanging and progressive, while guitar chords transport us back into the retro era of the rebellious 80s and 90s. The next song “Riverbed/Lungs” changes the energy vibrations into a softer dynamic, but manages to hold listener interest and create excitement. The heartfelt lyrics are delivered with a natural inflection that produces a nuanced appeal to the song. “Viens” has an interesting instrumental arrangement to the album that we appreciate. The bluesy rock fused with surf aesthetic is designed to result in an elemental environment that produces a comfortable, natural high! The next song on this album, “Sex Bobs” exudes enigmatic energy. The rapid tempo keeps listeners on edge like an exhilarating rollercoaster ride. The closing song of this album is titled, “My Love”. This is a love ballad. “My Love” presents an appropriate closure to the album because it reveals a unexpected and different side to the artistry of F.Y.E. This love ballad illustrates affection, passionate emotion, and a soft vulnerable side of F.Y.E. This is in contrast to songs containing the energy in “Splinter”. F.Y.E has taken their lead from various of pop-punk bands that helped inspire them to curate according to their individual needs.
The album “Splinter” showcases the multi-facet dimensions to one genre of rock. F.Y.E. keeps your energy pumping and takes you through a light psychedelic experience! You can listen to “Splinter” by F.Y.E here.
Welcome to BuzzMusic F.Y.E! Knowing you’ve been practicing for one full summer on an old drum kit gifted by a friend, in what ways have you witnessed your skills and talent progress since then?
Kahalawai: Ways I feel I have improved? Mostly I feel I have improved on branching out my style and not just sticking to the basics.
Kaleo: What I have noticed is I am more original then I was before. I spent a lot of time playing with the sound that I want instead of playing the same chords.
Nalu: I feel similar to them. Reaching out to different genres and trying new ways of playing, but I went back to the basics to play in my space better.
Congratulations on your album release of “Splinter”! Tell us about the concept. What inspired this album and how does the title reflect its theme?
"Splinter" was a lot more thought out then the first album. Its theme is based around a boy who fell in love with someone who didn't want to be with him. The songs are in order of the story. The list goes from when he first met the girl to what the outcome it became. We plan to post the lyrics so people can follow the story better.
We loved the punk rock influence throughout many tracks such as “Teenage Love” and “viens”. How would you describe your approach to these songs?
We have a hard time remembering how "Teenage Love" came to be. The lyrics weren't intended to be a punk song but did when we put them on simple bar chords and a fast beat. The song became a quick overlook of the hard parts of what it's like to be in a relationship. Memories from this song for us is of our friends who have been very supportive of our music. Charles and Beau were the first to hear it, and to watch them get super hype about the song meant a lot. Another person is Jose, the owner of TFG Studios, the one who recorded us. We laughed with him about how the beginning song because it sounded like a spy intro. So we all put our hands up like we are holding a gun, and when the drums came in, we started shooting. It's been a little inside joke ever since then.
For our song "Viens," we were inspired by the song "Last Nite" by The Strokes. You can hear it more in the drums than anything else. Also, it was originally supposed to say "veins," but Kaleo made a typo when posting the songs, and we didn't notice until it was up. Instead of changing it, we looked up "Viens" and found out it meant "Come" in French. Our late-night drives inspired the lyrics. We would go to Del Cerro Park in Rolling Hills to look out at this cool view of the ocean. We were trying to create space from our issues, and it was a nice little vacation, but they always come back.
“My Love” had a strong lyrical connotation! Can you explain to us further what this song meant to you and what inspired you to write this?
"My Love" is about being miserable with someone but wanting to stay in the relationship. Everyone has an experience like that where this person becomes their world, and you almost can't break out of that thinking. People will tell you over and over that the relationship isn't healthy, but you want to make this person happy to make you happy. Rescuing can be such a bad habit of some, and it's definitely a relationship killer. So doing all you can to recognize this can be the best thing for yourself and the person your with because if you keep up all the saving, it eventually becomes tiring, and you might not look at the person the same. Thinking this is where my happiness goes and where it stays.
What's next for you through 2020?
Truthfully we don't have any plans for the year 2020. We are looking for shows, and we have a show on February 28th at Beatnik Bandito in Santa Ana. That's all we currently have. We are still writing songs but no guarantee of another album this year, but we enjoy it, so maybe.
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