False Heads have been sharing some tantalising teasers of their upcoming second album, due this September.
Their latest offering, ‘Haunted Houses’, on which punk heavyweight Frank Turner also features, might be the most intriguing yet.
Turner – who has been involved with the production of their upcoming record – contributes vocals and guitars to this intense track, helping the band build a wall of sound that aptly conveys an unsettling mood that’s carried by the lyrics.
The haunting referred to in the track is of a psychological nature rather than a paranormal one. It’s a manifestation of the many obsessions and pressures of the times we live in, confirming the band’s favourite themes and their ability to balance the introspective with the political. Once again, the lyrics are sharp and focused in their ability to produce clear, impactful images: “I see the dead/and I dream of the living”, for instance, pinpoints the anguish of being confronted with one’s ghosts and anxieties.
Sonically, out of the singles drawn so far from the upcoming record, this may be the one that best showcases the growth in maturity and songwriting this band has been enjoying recently. It’s still infused with the grunge and garage rock influences that False Heads fans are familiar with: a hint of Nirvana in the vocals and themes and something of Incubus in the way the guitars and the instrumental sections are built. However, there is a new ingenuity to this track that was not present before. They display a greater confidence in expanding the instrumental bridges and weaving melodic suggestions through them, and a newfound precision in inserting small dissonant phrases in the body of the song that help create the haunted mood the song is going for.
This new, exciting single release shows even more promise for the album and tour which are soon to come. False Heads have given a voice to the anxieties that haunt many of us these days, and they are ready to vent them explosively on stage.
Chiara Strazzulla
Image: ‘Haunted Houses’ Official Single Cover
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