NEW FRIES - IS THE IDEA OF US
Rosie shares her thoughts on the latest New Fries release, Is The Idea Of Us, and lets you know whether she thinks you should listen or not.
Candadian based trio, New Fries rejoin planet earth with a new collection of tracks to embark on, into another dimension. Defying the laws of traditional songwriting, performing and what it means to be in a band, New Fries strip back all known industry standards to fulfill a desire to create an energy and a spirit as opposed to just another product. “We’ve never been interested in the tradition of song writing- though we’re interested in musical elements like repetition, space and dynamics.”
‘Bangs’ welcomes the album quietly and gently with a faint bass line and subtle, pulsing beat that repeats itself for a good minute before speeding up with a siren sounding whir in the background and spoken word appearing. There’s no sense of melody or fancy vocal techniques, just a play on the technical aspects of music and focusing on the atmosphere that the sounds create.
Inspired by the likes of Long Long Long, New Fries set out to challenge everything we know in music, particularly in the canadian music scene. Particularly, in Canada. The term Torontopia surfaced around the early 2000s, it referred to ‘reimaging your city, creating new models, forging new communities … celebrating diversity.’
It threw previously unknown artists such as Broken Social Scene into the wider, cultural conversation. Anni and Jenny ( Singer & guitarist, drummer felt that there was an issue with how this frames Toronto music. “...forgets a lot of different communities. There’s not a homogenous scene here. There’s dozens of things happening. Like, stuff that you have no idea exists.” they told Vice in 2014. A few years later, the drive for completely detaching themselves from social constructs is still very much prominent with Is The Idea Of Us.
‘Lily’ is a funky, psychedelic disco-like track with a repeating declining bassline. Combining sounds from the 60s, 70s and 80s, ‘Lily’ somehow takes us on a timeless journey through echoing vocals and strange, repeating melodies within 6 minutes, making it the longest track on the album. Following this are various short interludes no longer than a minute, each one exploring various rhythms and seemingly wanting to make as much noise as possible. While adding in trance effects. A complete minefield of technical processes and dreamy imagery.
Is The Idea Of Us pushes all boundaries not only how the album sounds as a whole but also with putting it together. Blurring the lines between genres, paying less attention to musician skill and focusing more on the atmosphere and energy that the music gives out puts Is The Idea Of Us in a league of its own, it’s unique, messy and noisy and its ready to move into the year 3000 and into a world of your own.
Rosie Chalk
★★★★☆