The Indie-Pop soulsters performing under the cognomen "Fare" resurface with their most immersive electronic single to date, "Talk In Circles."
Like much of their previous work, the latest from the LA and N.Y.C, collaborators lands gleaming with a harmonious combination of festooned backdrops, oscillating synths, and intoxicating toplines.
The fleshy introspective nature of their music isn't far-gone either, with Ryan Lafferty and Charlie Maynard indicating that "Talk In Circles" is an inspired commentary on the never-ending arguments we find ourselves looped into with our loved ones from time to time. Yet, after a more in-depth inspection, it's clear that there is a more immediate meaning behind their single, a sort of beckoning for positive change, especially during this political climate.
Ryan Lafferty and Charlie Maynard follow-suit with their musical stratagem of juxtapositions in the audible form, blending dismal narratives with an assortment of bewildering sonics. "Talk In Circles" benefits entirely from this operative, coercing listeners with their trademark cherubic-pop aesthetics and bolstering their more ominously hounding anecdotes with a sense of mysticism.
"I'm up on my feet, try to be patient darling, I've given you all the time I can," they sing, with a mid-tempo drive, a shape-shifting soundscape festooned with synchromesh-like harmonies, and rambunctiously oscillating synths coloring the backdrops they resound within.
Fare's vocals purloin this emollient track's spotlights and land healthy in the sojourned center until the playback implodes into itself with transformative grace, weaving, and intertwining with electronica-reflecting soundscapes that prove to be infatuating; and at the same time bewildering.
Throughout their adhesive chorus where they sing, "why you even need a conversation when all you gotta do is grab my hand," it's clear that their frustration is boiling over. Their lyrics mirror how "Talk In Circles" seems to evolve and develop with electronic intensity from section to section, fomenting their storyline like veteran songwriters.
When they're buzzing, it sounds like a clandestine amalgamation of retro-futuristic archangels, come to enlighten audiences with their melodic and synergizing harmonies, creating new immersive worlds with every new taster of their trademark electronic pop-soul sound.
By the time you get the final cut-out at the end of Fare's immersive sonic journey in "Talk In Circles," there's no doubt you'll be scouring the internet for more. The enchanting catalog Ryan Lafferty and Charlie Maynard have been producing with the timeless class since 2018 is only getting better, and it's got everyone itching and scratching for more.
What were the most powerful emotions that ended up influencing your production of "Talk in Circles"? And did you find those sentiments inspired your vocal performances on this latest track as well?
Frustration sets at the root. Some of it stems from the way that our current society approaches conversation, debate, truth, Twitter rants, etc. but this also came from a personal place. This song was inspired by the loops we often catch ourselves in when at odds with our loved ones in a conversation that never seems to end. Simply characterized as "talking in circles”, it’s a song we held back from release for two years. Now it seems more relevant than ever given the current political conversation and a place where positive change feels caught in a holding pattern by poor leadership and wretched fake tans.
Where do you get the idea behind decorating "Talk in Circles" with multifarious amounts of oscillating synths, sonic drones, and mystifying vocal tones? Were there any musical inspirations you can thank for their influence in that sense?
We really wanted to create two worlds of feeling between the verse and chorus—two sides of the multiverse. The haunting, airy vocals of the verse contrasted by the oscillating synths almost circling around in your headphones create a push and pull from one world to the next. We always love playing with tone and movement and aimed to make the different sections of the song each stand out from each other but still flow seamlessly from start to finish. We’ve drawn on a lot of musical inspirations to help find our sound, but it’s really a culmination of an eclectic array of music (not unlike the island misfit of toys) we’re thankful for as opposed to any specific standouts.
When it comes down to what came first, was it the lyrics, the melody, or the idea behind "Talk in Circles"? Do you think this single would have turned out differently if it had developed from a different starting point?
The melody came first, and that’s typically the way we write because, at the end of the day, we absolutely want our songs to be catchy—but at the same time, we definitely have a theme in mind for the song when we initiate the writing process. We went through countless iterations of this song both from a lyrical standpoint and a production standpoint, and we reworked it until we felt that we’d gotten it right.
If you could say a few words that would act as the prologue for the experience behind "Talk in Circles" and the rest of your anticipated music coming later this year, what would you say?
Hmmm… A long time ago, in a galaxy far—no scratch that. Honestly, we just ask that you turn your speakers up or wear your favorite pair of headphones and enjoy the ride. With this track and the songs to follow, we’re trying to create space and new sonic depths with our music and we’re excited for listeners to come along with us as we explore and evolve along the way.
What has been keeping you inspired while creating new music this year?
Honestly, the ability to make music during this time feeds itself—especially with such extreme conditions existing everywhere in the world. If we ever face the actual apocalypse, we’re pretty confident we’ll get some high-quality jams out of it.