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Review: 'Fawn Spots'
'From Safer Place'   

-  Album: 'From Safer Place' -  Label: 'Critical Heights'
-  Genre: 'Reggae' -  Release Date: '9th March 2015'

Our Rating:
Since they crackled and fizzed into existence on the York music scene in a tidal wave of treble, Fawn Spots have come a long way in just a few short years. Initially a two-piece, their frenzied live sets depended on raw power and relentless pace over technical ability. Three hundred broken guitar strings later, they’ve definitely refined their sound and their songwriting. With the addition of Oliver Grabowski on second guitar adding considerable depth and dimension to their sound, they’re still a long way from toning things down.

Rabid fans of all things Dischord, and having already drawn endless comparisons to Hüsker Dü and No Age, the sub-three minute bursts of kinetic force on ‘From Safer Place’ offer practically no respite. While they reference Joy Division (and recently played a set of JD covers), they also cite the band’s earlier incarnation of Warsaw. It’s a fitting likeness: the hell-for-leather punk sound of Fawn Spots is as primitive and frenetic as their 70s precursors and dark nihilism exists as more than a mere undercurrent.

That said, the blistering energy of ‘From Safer Place’ means it’s certainly not a bleak or harrowing experience, and if anything, it’s a great deal of fun provided you’re willing to accept tinnitus as collateral damage for your listening pleasure.

There are some (very brief) moments where the distortion pedals go off, for a few bars on ‘Black Water’ and ‘Natural Vision’ which reveal a keen sense of melody and serve to enhance the overall dynamics. There’s also a fleeting moment in ‘Natural Vision’ that sounds like The Fall’s ‘Maquis Cha-Cha’ on amphetamine.

Adhering staunchly to their lo-fi / no-fi roots has thus far served Fawn Spots well, and ‘From Safer Place’ looks set to bring their searing blasts of treble to a much, much wider audience. It’s well deserved, and about time York had a band to shout about other than Shed Bloody Seven.

Fawn Spots Online
  author: Christopher Nosnibor

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Fawn Spots - From Safer Place