Fast Romantics - “Smoke + Lightning”
Photo by Jen Squires
For the third time ever, Toronto-based Fast Romantics have arrived on the blog with new music. This time, they’re giving the world “Smoke + Lightning,” a dream pop package that comes with a video, co-directed by Raven Shields and the band.
Pressing play on “Smoke + Lightning” results in a vintage-infused beat that pours the foundation for wonderful and glorious layers of synth. It is a thick wall of sound, complete with guitar and bass, triumphantly flowing from your speakers, ear-worming its way into your brain. Moments later, the waves of sound separate to reveal a gritty drum and bass groove, churning across the bottom of some melodically picked notes from an electric guitar. It is here where Kirty begins her vocal delivery.
Kirty’s voice is soft and ethereal and possesses everything we have come to love about the dream pop genre. It manages to avoid the temptation of adding unnatural effects and, instead, appears to rely more on layering and a thick coat of good, old-fashioned reverb. By doing this, it is not at all difficult to imagine “Smoke + Lightning” as part of the band’s live show, which is notorious for being larger-than-life, so, if you ever get the opportunity to catch Fast Romantics in concert, we suggest you drop everything and do so.
Co-bandleader Matthew Angus adds some lower harmonies on the refrain, ensuring that the production grows as wide as possible. And over its three minute and forty-five second course, the song slowly and magnificently crescendos, revealing contemplative lyrics, such as “When you die, you don’t really die,” as well as others that check off all of our introspective boxes. We truly cannot think of a better song to get into your ears this weekend.
About the track, Kirty offers: "‘Smoke + Lightning’ was written during a time that I felt like I was being swallowed up in the most vivid dreams every night. It started to blur my waking hours with a twisted, colourful dream-life in my sleeping hours. This song is filled with stream-of-consciousness words and images that made up those dreams.”
“Smoke + Lightning“ comes from Fast Romantics’ upcoming EP, Happiness + Euphoria, which hits stores September 29. You can pre-order it here.
-HD