Anyone who still thinks that pop and rock music can’t share the same space and that they are mutually exclusive or sworn enemies must not have been paying proper attention for the last few years. One of the best things, amongst many great things, to be found in the current musical landscape, now that we have abandoned our old tribalistic sonic ways and embraced the new, post-genre attitude, is the rise of bands such as The Forcefields.
Under the guise of Aayama and Max Forcefield, Julia Othmer has teamed up with renowned UK producer James T Lundie to create this new, cosmic force.
Taken from The Bridge, their two-track debut EP, “Slip Away”, is a gorgeous blend of digital pop energy and rock weight, a place where more traditional analogue sounds are woven into an EDM soundscape. But, if that three letter anacronym conjures something throwaway, music that is more style over substance, a quick spin of this introductory track proves that nothing could be further from the truth.
Smooth electronica initially wanders some poised and polished pop paths before seemingly collapsing under its own weight into glitchy electro-psychedelia, the underlying energies are provided by relentless and propulsive rock-infused bass lines and traditional four-four beats.
It is a song that reminds us of how redundant generic labels are and how much they diffuse and demark the musical landscape, divide rather than conquer. It’s better, surely, to consider all sounds and styles, all moods and melodies, all drives and energy fair game as musical building blocks and then create music out of whatever sonic shiny things take your magpie-like creative eye. That is precisely what The Forcefields is doing here, and the results are superb!
