Synth-Pop sensations, The Last Generation on Film reins from Philadelphia as a charismatic duo. Formed in 2014, we can hear the talents of Jeff Familetti on lead vocals, keys, and guitar, as the talents of Ryan Bayler can be found on the keys, guitar, and backing vocals.
The duo first met when they became roommates with a mutual friend during their time at Temple University. Ryan Bayler was studying film, as well as music marketing and production, with Jeff Familetti pursuing a degree in Musical Theater.
After discovering they both played music, they began writing together with acoustic guitars and eventually evolved to the more ambient dance music they write today after incorporating Ryan Bayler’s affinity for EDM and Jeff Familetti’s love for creating ethereal soundscapes.
Their music draws from a variety of influences including Electro-Pop, Funk, Chillwave and, Dance music with an Alternative Rock core. Their debut EP, 'Repetitions,' takes their audience through a swift progression of their inspirations as they make pieces of their five-track puzzle connect.
Starting off the collection of songs with the introductory track, “Morning Light,” a combination of airy synths and pads paves the sonic destination set out in, “Repetitions.” As we are taken on an indefinable surge of emotions that pours through us with the gentle guitar twangs that trickle in our thoughts, we are directly led into the deeper vision cast into a nimble view. “Morning Light,” is a purely instrumental piece that acts as the introduction for the second track on the EP, titled, 'Do It Better.' Seamlessly flowing into the tantalizing tones produced, The Last Generation on Film hoists our keenness set to an all-time high.
'Do It Better,' begins to flourish in a synth-infused Electro-Pop universe brightly illuminated by charming vocals that fashion atmospheric bliss. Captivating us with a bassline as strong as a backboard, the infectious grooves radiated by The Last Generation on Film have us bopping along to this track that serves as a triumphant escapade of energy unleashed. The lush elements offered up by the dynamic duo are both elusive and impactful as we bow down to the mesmerizing chorus of, “I can do it better, I can do it better.” A well-polished spin on the Rock meets Pop nostalgia has us turning up the volume a few decibels on this victorious composition.
The third song to be offered upon, 'Repetitions,' is the euphonious release of, “Notice You.” Allowing the instrumentation to adapt in forms of abstract elation, we are served up various moods that come together to build the illustrations at hand. As you gravitate towards the oscillating dispositions performed, we are taken through the journey of a meet-cute at a late-night bar scene, but this time, he is torn on what move to make because he is lost in the dopamine exuded from the music. Distortion fuses together with clean-cut resonance to bring the larger than life revelation of, “Notice You,” to the surface. Dripping charisma from the words vocalized, this is a story that we can get behind.
As we move on to the fourth song on the tracklist, we are dipped into the virtuously instrumental sounds of, “Buried.” Through the delicate keys being looped in performance as they evolve in volume, we have less than a minute to take in the interlude through its finer relaxed moments. Striking us as a ballad that drips in the quintessence of new beginnings, “Buried,” has just enough time to weigh heavily on our hearts and minds before it exits the room; but not before trailing into the final song to be captured by The Last Generation on Film.
As we reach the end of, 'Repetitions,' we say farewell with the impeccably fitting record escorting us to the last second, titled “Leave.” Taking a somber introduction that had commenced in the previous track, the seamless fusion of allowing this song to advance into a primitive synth world that hits the reminiscent 80’s themes head-on. We feel the attitude percolate through an energetic vocalization that reiterates that “I got to learn just when to leave.” Immaculate storytelling elements have us taken through the full experience of a night out to the point where it’s time to call it a night, or perhaps you still don’t know when that moment is. Throughout the entire arrangement, opulent guitar melodies fuel our being as we hang on to the tight drum patterns that allow us to shift gears. A true musical conquest for The Last Generation on Film.
Hello, The Last Generation on Film, welcome to BuzzMusic, and congratulations on the release of your EP, 'Repetitions.' From start to finish, we enjoyed each twist and turn in the development that fortifies this masterpiece. What is the storyline that runs through this EP based off of?
Jeff: First of all, thank you very much, masterpiece is quite the word to use! As for the storyline, it’s more of a general feeling than an actual narrative. That being said, the reason behind the name Repetitions is that the whole EP, much like life itself, is a never-ending cycle of mistakes and failures that lead to you doing better the next time.
Ryan: Thank you! The songs and transition pieces that makeup "Repetitions" were written at all different times; some even years apart. The EP tells the story of falling back into old patterns or habits we try to break as individuals. "Do It Better" is about waking up and kicking yourself for a mistake the night before, then shaking it off telling yourself "I can do it better...". "Notice You" is about individuality and finding a new sense of self-confidence. Instead of your average pop song about taking someone home you met at the club, it's more about dancing on your own and not needing or wanting anyone else but your own company. "Leave", however, is about when you take it too far and end up being the drunkest one at the bar to the point of embarrassing yourself. This ultimately leads right back into the start of "Do It Better", reeling from last night. It's about how we have the ability to change things in our lives, but that we are still flawed humans capable of falling back into old habits.
Could you please tell us how the creative process for, 'Repetitions,' began to brew with the two of you at the helms?
Jeff: The songs themselves are actually some of our oldest songs; Do It Better was probably one of the first songs we ever wrote together and also the first single we released. The process for the EP began a few months into Quarantine, after all of our plans for 2020 had fallen through; all the free time gave us an opportunity to sit down and map out our next few records. We were able to finally organize all of our music and figure out what went well together and we found that these three songs had a similar theme: a night out with friends and the aftermath.
Ryan: As we said, the songs for the EP were written at all different times. The writing process for each song was certainly different. "Do It Better" was one of the first songs we ever wrote. Jeff and I had all the sounds we wanted to work with and a friend who was with us that day just messing around hit the first chord and we sort of looked up like 'yeah!' knowing that just sounded right and literally built the bulk of the sound out of that in an afternoon. "Leave" was later born out of some cool piano samples we chopped together with an inspiration for a funkier driven song, while the idea for "Notice You" just came about after stumbling upon the conversation sample in the opening.
Do either of you have a song that resonates with you more than the others on this particular project?
Jeff: Personally, Do It Better has always spoken to me the most, it’s about moments of weakness and telling yourself that you can be better, and I think that really hits home with a lot of people. This song is all about self-love.
Ryan: Favorite song on the record? That's tough, but I might have to say "Leave". It was written early in our time of writing music together and one of those first songs I really felt energized about. I felt like we tapped into something creative and it's just a fun song to hear and play.
What is a common misconception that people have of The Last Generation on Film that you would like to set straight?
Jeff: Honestly, as stupid as this sounds, I think the 'The' in our name is very important. The idea is that people our age are the last generation to hold their baby pictures in their hands. We are the last generation before everything became digital, so for us, the name is a sense of nostalgia; it’s not speaking about the last generation, it’s describing us as the last generation to be completely on film.
Ryan: I can't say if this is really a common misconception or not, but for a bit, we've been defined as a synthwave or synth-pop group. The more Jeff and I discuss the matter of genre the more we are at a bit of a loss. We're certainly an electronic-driven duo, but we never leave anything off the table and always create music that just feels right at the time we're doing it.
From the moment that you begin creating a masterpiece, all the way to the release; what part of the creative process do you enjoy the most?
Jeff: My favorite part of any songwriting process is just plunking my hand down on a keyboard and seeing what sounds good. Sometimes the most random “improv” becomes the coolest ideas. From there I love to scroll haphazardly through different sounds to see if something sticks out to me and go from there. I think that’s a good way to just hear different options; I prefer going into every song without a plan and seeing where it goes
Ryan: There's a moment when you're mixing. You know the song is done, but you're just making the last tweaks here and there, and all of a sudden the whole song sounds right. It's weird to describe especially after listening to the same song nearly 100 times. But in a matter of one or two-volume changes, you finally hear the song the way it should sound and you're ready to move to the next step. That's really the best part.
