Fake Reality

One trend that has existed in the music industry for decades and decades is the phenomenon of labeling. Fans, critics and those in the music business often get caught up in classifying bands and artists in different genres or styles of music. Within the realm of what we would refer to as “rock music,” the amount of sub genres that now exist is staggering and immeasurable. There’s hard rock, there’s metal, hardcore, metalcore, industrial, punk, emo and so, so many more. Despite our best efforts to give every band and sound a label, there are also those few artists who transcend different styles and resist getting tagged by the music industry. One such group is Toronto’s own Fake Reality, a band composed of four young guys in their early twenties who write music that transcend many different styles. After a lengthy delay, the guys are finally set to release the follow up to their 2002 self-titled EP, the brand new, eight track Figments, a solid follow up to a very respectable debut.

Figments gets going with the quick and fast paced “Tragic Helpless Romantic.” The song jumps right out at you with some very intense guitar work before jumping right into a simple but catchy melody and chorus. The riff on the track is very catchy although the lyrics could use slightly more fine tuning. Track two “Deeper Further” also happens to be the first single from Figments. It begins with a soft piano intro before nicely settling into another catchy guitar riff. Lead singer Mike Soragnese really shines on this particular song, his lyric work is great and the band has crafted another great melody.

The next song “Maegan’s Gift” takes the aggression down a notch and puts on display some excellent and innovative guitar work. Track four “Indirect” gets back to the grinding and fast paced guitars of track one. Soragnese sounds oddly very similar to Three Days Grace’s frontman Adam Gontier on this song, a sure sign of his positive vocal development. Track five “The Jazz” is just a half minute filler track, although it features a cool little riff which sounds like it could have been made into a killer song.

The following song “Blow” was actually previously featured on the band’s debut EP, but it happens to fit in quite well on Figments. The song might be the softest and most introspective song on the disc and it features some exceptional piano work that blends very well with the guitars and drums. “Negative Associations” alternates between heavy and soft parts and in terms of musicianship, it’s probably the best track on Figments. Finally, the EP ends with the song “Pilot Seasons.” This would probably be my least favorite track on the whole EP even though there’s nothing particularly bad about the song, it just doesn’t flow as well as the other songs.

Fake Reality has really brought their A game on Figments. The maturation and progression of the band is on full display on this disc and the songwriting has hit a whole new level. Credit should also go to producer Flavio Monopoli and engineer Michael Landolt who have produced a very crisp sounding CD for an indie release. If Figments is any indication, Fake Reality look like they’re onto big things for the future.  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. Tragic Helpless Romantic
02. Deeper Further
03. Maegan’s Gift
04. Indirect
05. The Jazz
06. Blow
07. [-] Associations
08. Pilot Season

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