Fearing are a dark coldwave/post-punk band based out of Oakland, California whose debut album, Shadow, emerges today, April 10th via Funeral Party Records.

Fearing formed in 2016 when an online friendship quickly blossomed between James Rogers (bass, vocals) and Brian Vega (guitar, vocals). They collaborated on their bedroom synth projects, driven by the desire to combine both of their talents and to create something new and fresh in the Bay Area.

The addition of Mike Fenton (drums) and Joey Camello (guitar) helped to further expand the sound and depth of the band. Fearing released two EPs and played a handful of tours with acts including Choir Boy, Death Bells, Glaare, and Miserable.

The band finished up a Western US tour with Cold Showers in January and was planning to do a West Coast run with Soft Kill and In Mirrors to support Shadow before the pandemic struck.

Big Takeover is extremely pleased to host the premiere of Shadow in full on the day of its release.

Shadow finds Fearing further exploring their unique sonic territory, seamlessly blending elements of French coldwave, European post-punk, dark Goth rock vocals, and the first wave of shoegaze to create something truly unique in today’s rising dark music scene.

Gloomy, but up-tempo lead single “Good Talks” runs with a brisk Motorik pace, balancing light and shade with luminous guitar reverb emanations contrasting with stark and baleful vocals.

Second single “Pictured Perfect” moves with an emphatically smacked drum beat and shimmering cymbals glow that throws illumination on the more reflective guitar patterns and chugging bass line. The vocals are darkly despondent, reminiscing on past times as a floating synth line weaves through the mix.

“Catacombs” sweeps by with a cantering bass line, sharper guitar lines, and propulsive drumming. Swirls of synths break out, creating a dreamy atmosphere amid the heaviness of the bass line. Noir sing-talking vocals take on a dispassionate tone that bleakly speak of the futility of it all.

A strict drum beat and rumbling bass line drives “Sherbert” that also glimmers with little licks of wavering guitar on the verses. Slightly echoed vocals, always richly dark, ricochet through the track, as the guitars reel on the chorus sections.

Foreboding vocals spoken in a stream-of-consciousness flow wander through “Trail Of Grief” that otherwise spins with gentle reverb guitar uplift, low bass line, percussive jangle, and a fleet drum beat. The lyrics are, however, are emotionally desolate: “Hopeless… I’ll never find the light / Walking through the darkness / Reaching for the point of it all.”

Contemplative “Glow” focuses on a treasured relationship that’s threatened by the psychological angst of the protagonist. Doleful vocals mark the otherwise brighter song.

Lyrically defeatist album-ender “Nothing New” is shrouded in a weighty ambience of woeful vocal tones that lament hopelessness and misery. Strands of gleaming guitar spiral outwards that at least adding some sonic yearning to the song.

Rogers reveals some details about the album’s creation, commenting, “Shadow is a set of songs chosen from over a year’s worth of home studio demos. Our band doesn’t get to spend a lot of time together, so we basically all wrote this at home on our own time and pieced it together as a group. Parts of it were recorded at our original studio with Scott Goodrich, but was then taken home to be finished ourselves at home. We spent several months messing with the songs and refining the track listing before reaching out to Nick Bassett to get a fresh set of ears on it. The final product was finished by me and mastered by our friend Morgan Travis.”

Fearing Bandcamp
Fearing Webiste
Funeral Party Website
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