The Fadeaways ‘Dirty Water' EP Review

Tracklist:

1. I Need Your Love

2. I’m Not There

3. Be The Flakes

4. It’s A Crying Shame

5. (This Has Gotta Be A) Joke

Between Lena Hall’s monthly Obsessed series, Flickertail, Babylon Shakes, and the Digital Criminals, 2018 has proven to be an outstanding year for EPs with each of the above occupying very different musical styles. Lets add the Fadeaways to the list now with this blast of Garage Rock from Japan being an exhilarating blast of adrenalin laced with 60’s and 70’s hooks.

I had done a quick YouTube search after agreeing to review this one so I had an idea what the band would sound like on record but was not prepared for how insidious these songs would be to my soul. Pounding drums and a cool riff kick down the doors to get things started with ‘I Need Your Love’ being a refreshing blast of a nugget with a blistering guitar solo. The mix fits perfectly for this style and gives the feeling of being at a gig.

‘I’m Not There’ keeps the party going and my musical soul bouncing off the walls in delight. Another ripping solo here by Sakurai-boy with the speakers bleeding some garage fuzz a la the Sonics. With the band favoring the two minute mark for their songs, these blasts leave no wasted time with

‘Be The Flakes’ featuring some awesome drum work by Ozzy and a subtle infectious hook. This incorporates some of the early Hives into the sound as well. There is some excellent bass work here by Toyozo, but it does require some focus at times to pick it up in the mix.

‘It’s a Crying Shame’ lets the foot off the accelerator but only a little bit. The contrast it creates though allows this song to feel like the big single even though the tempo is still rather frenetic. Backing vocals here add some extra texture as Toyozo sings with a reckless abandon.

Wrapping things up entirely too quickly is ‘(This Has Gotta Be a) Joke’ which takes a bullet train speed blues riff and lays waste to whatever might still be standing in the room in just a minute’s time.

Maintaining that old adage of leave them wanting more, The Fadeaways have done just that and created a fantastic EP that will have me checking out their back catalog and closely watching them moving forward. The Fadeaways are perfecting 60’s Garage Rock nuggets and infusing with a shot of Punk.

Highly recommended!