Provo, Utah’s Festive People are known for their iridescent, welcoming, and celebratory—yet also occasionally melancholic—take on synthpop/rock splendor. Self-described as “a blend of your mom’s groovy ’70s tunes and your dad’s favorite Pink Floyd tracks”, the group’s first two EPs (2015’s Festive People and 2016’s Parade) stood as brief but substantial demonstrations of the band’s skill at meshing engaging songwriting and exhilarating instrumentation. Fortunately, their upcoming debut LP, In the Black, fulfills and expands upon those initial promises by offering an impeccably arranged collection of jubilantly lustrous, affective, and catchy tracks that every fan of the style should adore.
Comprised of John Lane (vocals/rhythm guitar), Dillon Boss (bass), Cameron Faerber (synth), Brennan Tolman (drums), and Skylar Hansen (lead guitar), Festive People’s emotive exuberance has already earned them a sizable following, several glowing critical appraisals, and appearances as notable events like Colorado’s Mountain Air Music Series, Provo’s Rooftop Concert Series, Stadium of Fire, and the Timpanogos Music Festival. Of course, they’ve had plenty of time to refine their artistry since Parade came out; in fact, they regard In the Black as “represent[ing] the transition from the complacent to the challenging”. They continue:
We departed from our old comfortable sound in search of something more authentic and outside our comfort zone. Lyrically, this album digs deeper than anything we’ve written before, exposing the shortcomings of relationships between lovers, siblings, fans, and self. We took ten days to produce and record this record in a remote cabin in the hills of Southern Utah. For that week and a half, every ounce of our focus and energy was spent creating a collection of songs we couldn’t be more proud of.
Every song on the LP shows a logical and ambitious progression from their earlier sequences. Although tracks like opener “Boxcar”, “Behave”, and “Lover, Not a Friend” maintain Festive People’s knack for energetic and dense pop gems, other pieces reveal marked shifts in tone and/or timbres. For instance, “Spin My Eyes” is a somber acoustic guitar ballad (with dreamy electronic accentuation) at its core, whereas “Mesmerized” matches the silky hooks of Death Cab for Cutie with the glittery charm of Portugal. The Man and Cage the Elephant. Later, “Hostage” actually infuses a bit of 1980s Michael Jackson-esque beats into its multifaceted aural collage, while the title track feels like a sparser and slower B-side from Sufjan Stevens’ The Age of Adz (in all the best ways).
Check out a full stream of In the Black below and be sure to grab a copy when it releases on 3 August.