Written by Rowan Bruce
Finding a comfortable middle ground between fast and angry hardcore punk and catchy emo and indie rock, Italian collective Feldspar manage to forge a sound that’s as accessible as it is urgent on their sophomore record Soft Side.
While only forming a handful of years ago in the heart of Rome, only a few blocks from The Vatican, Feldspar sound more polished and cohesive than many bands who’ve been around for decades. Drawing from their hardcore roots, the eight-person collective fold just as much punk aggression into their emo and alt-rock led sound as memorable choruses and jangling guitar riffs.
Based on the first notes of introductory track Heart Is The Ghetto, listeners may assume that Feldspar are simply another guitar pop act, these worries are quickly dispelled when the band explode into a gloriously cathartic song filled with constantly shifting guitars and dynamic vocals. Elegantly transforming from resembling a lost Muncie Girls single to sounding like Fucked Up at their most melodic Feldspar rush out the gate with their best foot forward led by dual vocalists Riccardo Zamurri and Gwen Mowat who trade lines between old-school hardcore shouts and British R&B inspired grooves. Although plenty of acts around the world are currently trying to ride the wave of hardcore’s renewed popularity by throwing a breakdown or a couple of screams into a pop song, Feldspar’s approach to hardcore saturated alternative rock feels entirely genuine and refreshingly listenable.
Throughout the ten track album Feldspar continue to innovate, folding in influences as far apart as Weezer and Touché Amoré, occasionally both within the same track. The title track Soft Side for example, pushes the focus towards Zamurri’s harsher vocal style while also highlighting some catchy, chorus infused lead guitar lines, while Sweating On ups the energy with a driving rhythm section featuring old-school punk drums alongside shouted gang vocals while the breezy guitars and vocals pull the track in a more melodic, pop-oriented direction. This contrast is really the driving force behind Feldspar’s sound, not ignoring their punk roots while branching out and exploring new sonic territory.
While often ambitious in its mix of genres, Soft Side does suffer a little from repeating musical ideas with some tracks begging for a unique selling point to set them apart. Closing track Growing Concern should be an opportunity to close on a high note but the jangling lead guitar and nineties alternative style hook have been done in more interesting ways throughout the album, the highlights of Soft Side, such as the title track, Aberdeen and Sweating On stand out best when they deviate from Feldspar’s formula.
Soft Side acts as a showcase of everything Feldspar are capable of, swapping back and forth between genres and their dual vocalists without ever coming across as haphazard or slapdash. While different tracks focus on the two singers differently, like Slow Down which allows Zamurri to take the verses with his crude shouts with Mowat leading the chorus with lilting pop melodies contrasted with Family Man which lets Mowat take the spotlight bolstered by low harmonies from Zamurri against a dynamic emo backdrop.
Blending together grungey alternative and breezy pop-rock with a punky edge, Rome’s Feldspar manage to forge an engaging and memorable sound on their sophomore album Soft Side. Despite some slightly inelegant delivery fans of bands as diverse as The Smashing Pumpkins, Fucked Up and Trophy Eyes should find plenty to enjoy in Feldspar’s mishmash of genres.
