Following the release of their debut single Origami back in March, 2017 has seen Birmingham/Wolverhampton trip-hoppers FABRIK go from strength to strength, playing a multitude of shows around both of their native towns and further afield as well as gain the support of BBC Introducing. The band continue to earn themselves a reputation on the Birmingham scene, having only appeared online in October of last year.
August 2017 saw the band release their debut album 'City Islands' having already followed up
up the trip hop stomp and intricate melodies of their debut single Origami with second single Animal, a raunchy, primal sonic assault and the most recent, Whitestar, a concoction of 90's hip hop beats, arpeggiated Guitar parts and an angelic, elegant vocal.
The album is a well crafted modern trip hop odyssey and captivated me from start to finish. As a huge fan of the 90's scene that spawned artists such as Portishead and Massive Attack, both of which are firm favourite bands of mine, City Islands was the perfect thirst-quencher for an avid Portishead fan awaiting a new Portishead release. Though there is clear influence from the genre, FABRIK are far more melodic in their approach than their trip-hop predecessors, vocalist Hayley Trower ventures away from orthodox vocal melodies and instead employs melodies and vocal trills that borrow influence from traditional eastern musical styles.
Debut single Origami is the perfect introduction to the album and the sound of FABRIK, it is glaore with warped samples and it's marching lo fi drumbeats and synth pads accompany Trower's tuneful sampled howls. Lyrically she paints vivid imagery, "Water me each day, filling up with truth...Halving into squares, my origami mind". Origami has no clear chorus section, which is insinuated instead by a sample of what appears to be a spaghetti-western howl. The band are clear masters of arrangement also, as evident in their use of samples between sections to keep the listener hooked. It is easy to miss the melodic Joy Division style bassline that underpins the track, as played by bassist Dave Breeze. The band often close their live sets with a cover of New Order classic Blue Monday, which Origami segway's in to with ease, thus suggesting another major musical movement of the 21st century that has influenced the band.
Sunphonika follows, a painted canvas of arpeggiated synthesizers and electro-pop drumbeats. The track is a step away from the trip hop feel of Origami and is more commercial, with it's big, glittery pop chorus "We're city islands, dancing on our own". Throw in funky Guitars and a soulful, Jamie XX style vocal sample and you're met with a catchy alt-pop song, adding a different element to the sound of FABRIK.
Following track Tesseract is an emotive synth-pop ballad centred around a doomy bass line and reversed synthesized production, washes of atmospheric synthesizer along with garage rock Guitars that add to the emotion behind Trower's angelic falsetto.
Black Lake however borders on modern R&B/Neo Soul, which is right up my street. A combination of FABRIK's trademark lo-fi trip-hop drum parts, clean arpeggiated guitars and a bluesy bassline are the backdrop for Trower's soulful delivery and harmony. Just when I thought I'd got FABRIK figured, they once again deliver a completely different element to their sound than previously heard, suggesting even more broader influences.
Tracks such as 'Judas' and 'Murmuration' also show FABRIK in a refined modern electro guise, reminding me of the recently split London based band Vaults, who famously featured on the most recent Fifty Shades Of Grey soundtrack. Animal is the climax of City Islands, with it's angular, backward Guitars and huge fuzzy chorus that howls alongside Trower's vocal outbursts.
The highlight of the album for me however is third single 'Whitestar'. The track is Mezzanine era Massive Attack in it's production and well thought out structure, with 90's beats, layers of synthesizer and samples that create texture alongside modulated Guitars. However, it is the lyrical and melodic design of Trower's vocal on Whitestar that sets it apart from the rest of City Islands, the sensitivity of her voice providing the perfect medium to convey the meaning of the track.
FABRIK deserve every success in the industry and with a track such as Whitestar in their array, I struggle to believe there has been no label interest already.
'Return To Black Lake' is a short instrumental piece similar to '23:32' as heard earlier in the album, one that is effective in bringing the mood back down before closer track 'The Void'. This piece of music is a journey that is the perfect summary of 'City Islands', it's soft piano-ballad intro capturing the album's down beat moments before descending into a drone of doomy instrumental noise that FABRIK create so well.
'City Islands' is an impeccable debut from a band that are just getting started. Having become visible nearly a year ago now, a year later and they're out in the big wide world with this incredible album as a portfolio. With this in mind, the world is surely their oyster and I look forward to seeing what's next for FABRIK (pronounced FAB-REEK may I add). I also recommend getting out to see this band live whenever you get chance as they are an altogether, different, even more compelling experience when witnessed live.
August 2017 saw the band release their debut album 'City Islands' having already followed up
up the trip hop stomp and intricate melodies of their debut single Origami with second single Animal, a raunchy, primal sonic assault and the most recent, Whitestar, a concoction of 90's hip hop beats, arpeggiated Guitar parts and an angelic, elegant vocal.
The album is a well crafted modern trip hop odyssey and captivated me from start to finish. As a huge fan of the 90's scene that spawned artists such as Portishead and Massive Attack, both of which are firm favourite bands of mine, City Islands was the perfect thirst-quencher for an avid Portishead fan awaiting a new Portishead release. Though there is clear influence from the genre, FABRIK are far more melodic in their approach than their trip-hop predecessors, vocalist Hayley Trower ventures away from orthodox vocal melodies and instead employs melodies and vocal trills that borrow influence from traditional eastern musical styles.
Debut single Origami is the perfect introduction to the album and the sound of FABRIK, it is glaore with warped samples and it's marching lo fi drumbeats and synth pads accompany Trower's tuneful sampled howls. Lyrically she paints vivid imagery, "Water me each day, filling up with truth...Halving into squares, my origami mind". Origami has no clear chorus section, which is insinuated instead by a sample of what appears to be a spaghetti-western howl. The band are clear masters of arrangement also, as evident in their use of samples between sections to keep the listener hooked. It is easy to miss the melodic Joy Division style bassline that underpins the track, as played by bassist Dave Breeze. The band often close their live sets with a cover of New Order classic Blue Monday, which Origami segway's in to with ease, thus suggesting another major musical movement of the 21st century that has influenced the band.
Sunphonika follows, a painted canvas of arpeggiated synthesizers and electro-pop drumbeats. The track is a step away from the trip hop feel of Origami and is more commercial, with it's big, glittery pop chorus "We're city islands, dancing on our own". Throw in funky Guitars and a soulful, Jamie XX style vocal sample and you're met with a catchy alt-pop song, adding a different element to the sound of FABRIK.
Following track Tesseract is an emotive synth-pop ballad centred around a doomy bass line and reversed synthesized production, washes of atmospheric synthesizer along with garage rock Guitars that add to the emotion behind Trower's angelic falsetto.
Black Lake however borders on modern R&B/Neo Soul, which is right up my street. A combination of FABRIK's trademark lo-fi trip-hop drum parts, clean arpeggiated guitars and a bluesy bassline are the backdrop for Trower's soulful delivery and harmony. Just when I thought I'd got FABRIK figured, they once again deliver a completely different element to their sound than previously heard, suggesting even more broader influences.
Tracks such as 'Judas' and 'Murmuration' also show FABRIK in a refined modern electro guise, reminding me of the recently split London based band Vaults, who famously featured on the most recent Fifty Shades Of Grey soundtrack. Animal is the climax of City Islands, with it's angular, backward Guitars and huge fuzzy chorus that howls alongside Trower's vocal outbursts.
The highlight of the album for me however is third single 'Whitestar'. The track is Mezzanine era Massive Attack in it's production and well thought out structure, with 90's beats, layers of synthesizer and samples that create texture alongside modulated Guitars. However, it is the lyrical and melodic design of Trower's vocal on Whitestar that sets it apart from the rest of City Islands, the sensitivity of her voice providing the perfect medium to convey the meaning of the track.
FABRIK deserve every success in the industry and with a track such as Whitestar in their array, I struggle to believe there has been no label interest already.
'Return To Black Lake' is a short instrumental piece similar to '23:32' as heard earlier in the album, one that is effective in bringing the mood back down before closer track 'The Void'. This piece of music is a journey that is the perfect summary of 'City Islands', it's soft piano-ballad intro capturing the album's down beat moments before descending into a drone of doomy instrumental noise that FABRIK create so well.
'City Islands' is an impeccable debut from a band that are just getting started. Having become visible nearly a year ago now, a year later and they're out in the big wide world with this incredible album as a portfolio. With this in mind, the world is surely their oyster and I look forward to seeing what's next for FABRIK (pronounced FAB-REEK may I add). I also recommend getting out to see this band live whenever you get chance as they are an altogether, different, even more compelling experience when witnessed live.
You can stream 'City Islands' here:
Listen to 'Whitestar' below:
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