The Fylls – Interrupted

The Fylls – Interrupted

URL: https://www.thefylls.com/

The young kid rounds the last set of boarded up red brick buildings and dodges a black junker car filled with loud boom music and a wicked pair of smoking lips sneer out the driver’s side window at him as he hustles across the trashy city street. As the young kid approaches, he sets down his boom box on the hot asphalt, right next to the old cracked cement basketball court on a sweltering humid day just on the other side of the tracks. The young kid pauses. New York City’s sounds buzz in his ear. He drops in his CD and hits the play button. Something happens… the air changes and the basketball, the young kid and the music are the beat on the ground. The Fylls’ new EP ‘Interrupted’, bends the airwaves with their trademark style coming from the railings of the late 60’s and the flannels shirts of the 90’s. This is an album totally relatable as it tackles the inner social conscience of turmoil, reeks the unpleasant memories of social commentary about the perils of where this young kid relates, and the doom and gloom known only as the city life. 

As bass player Erica Robinson and guitar/harmonica player Jordan Rhodes mesh you sense the harmonious punch in their vocals throughout each track, there is an natural proclivity that flows. Adding in the mix the complementary jive of keyboard/ukelele/trumpet/vocals is Brian LoBianco, on drums Rick Troise and on synth/keyboard/acoustic/guitar is Jeff Tan. A neatly carved niche out of the beat of the East Coast Indie Rock sound is the scene The Fylls (pronounced The Fills) create. 

The social conscience appears quite often throughout The Fylls’ discography, with strong influences being hailed to Wilco, most notably to vocalist/songwriter Jeff Tweedy, is quite evident. Even though it is clear that The Fylls are determinedly their own. The sound this album, Interrupted, makes resonates to the daily grind of survival all told in lyrical fashion, in a day-to-day theme of the metropolitan zombie minds. Mindlessly skulking along to a non emotional day in the life of… But then again here is this social written documentary of lyrics in life blended to be kept light with the instrumental lilt that surrounds its being. It is almost like Michael Moore met Taylor Swift and made a ‘Fylls.’ 

Claiming that their mundane lyrics are at the crux of the matter but then dressed up in pretty colours of harmonious elevations and upbeat tempos you might just get this, totally get this album. It is rich and diverse if not a tad obscure but in a hella good way. If this is East Coast Indie then bring it on- it is time for the rest of the world to get a glimpse of this motion.Interrupted, is a great Freudian couch, a leather one slightly warn, but ever still so damn comfortable. If this is the direction The Fylls hold to… that young kid back at the beginning of this album review… is going to be totally jones’n for the rest of his days to keep The Fylls sound relating to his heartbeat. 

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/thefylls/

Song River