Artist: Fans Of Faye
Album: Designed To Be
Genre: Indie Pop Rock

Fans of Faye’s debut album, Designed To Be, is the next step in indie pop rock. Who doesn’t love a refreshing Brit-pop indie sound with earnest vocals and spacey guitar wails? As an album its pieced together almost flawlessly and the pacing oscillates at this energy that keeps the listener hooked.

It’s hard to put a finger on what it is that makes this album so easy to listen to on repeat. First listen, second even, you just note how catchy this indie-pop album is but after the initial ease into the sound, the lyrical depth leaves you sad and aching. The lyrics convey the pain of loss, the reflection of what was, descriptions of days to come. Which is no surprise after reading the band’s web page and discovering the band’s name is dedicated to their friend they lost in 2004.

The album begins with “Paint The Sun,” with echoing guitars, the sincere sound of Hart’s voice and electric organ sounds. The lyrics dig deep when Hart appeals, “do these teeth belong to you? do these teeth belong to your best friend?” and proceed to sing about the loss of a friend.

Other highlights include the beautiful, piano-heavy intro to “Designed To Be” pulls the pace down and progresses to an almost early Mars Volta aggressive-funk feel. The vocal delivery is very unique to the rest of the album as well as the sound.

“Are You Finished?” is one of the more heart-wrenching songs; reflecting the darker days of present and the innocence of the past. With a band-sung chorus, my mind was drawn to the early Taking Back Sunday Tell All Your Friends days. The girl, or girls, responsible for their broken hearts deserve a swift kick in the shins. “Reckless” continues the old TBS feel with mathematical chord progressions and backup vocals.

“Bloodshed” is a highlight in the album that makes one think of another Brit-pop indie band, Two Door Cinema Club. The guitar sounds bloom and progress through the track, which is appropriate with Hart singing “I gave you the right to design me again and fill my hollow chest” at the end of each verse. It warms the heart after the colder and heart-aching tracks.

Despite the lyrical content, “Handlebars” brings shy smiles, sunshine days and daydreams of the past. Singing of bruises, creatures killing one another, and death during the verses and leaving the chorus message to sing of the memories of a teenage muse. The message has good intentions with a dark delivery; which is bittersweet like most heartbreaks.

Pop-indie bands are like bubblegum; almost everyone likes bubblegum. It can vary in flavor, packaging, and consistency, yet there’s a comfortable familiarity with each kind that varies enough to keep people interested. Designed To Be manages to hit all the right pitches and strum all the right chords while sending a hopeless romantic’s message.

SCORE: 8/10
Review written by: Leanne Cushing (Twitter)

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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