Faint On Call – Harpoon (2022)
Born during the Covid-19 pandemic when restrictions meant no live performances and no chance to head to a studio to record music, musicians really struggled to keep their music alive. Now, I’m not saying only musicians were facing difficulties – all of us were and still are, but it’s a good way to introduce you to the supergroup Faint On Call. Combining the talents of veteran musicians Tobias Hawkins of Counting Crows, Cristian Hernandez of Onesidezero, session drummer Arthur McConnell and guitarist David Rodriguez, Faint On Call is a nostalgic toss back to the rock sounds of the 90s and 80s. As separate artists, the lads have over 40 years of experience in the industry between them, but as Faint On Call they are still newbies…sophisticated newbies.
Following their debut single ‘Pearl’, Faint On Call released the song ‘Harpoon’. Unlike ‘Pearl’, the sophomore track has a heavier, grittier and hard-hitting tone to its melody. Lying somewhere between alternative rock and melodic metal there is a leaning to the rock music in the 1990s/early-2000s; however, there is an obscurity within the arrangement giving ‘Harpoon’ a contemporary edginess. It’s almost fresh and familiar tossing you to old-school rock with a modern-day slant to the song.
As I mentioned, ‘Harpoon’ has a grittiness to it that seems to crawl beneath your skin, capture your soul and send you soaring off on a sonic cloud – pretty apt considering the concept of ‘Harpoon’ touches journeys from darker realities to bright lights at the end of the tunnel. Vocalist Tobias Hawkins explains that ‘Harpoon’ is “based on a great book I read recently, The Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick…the song is about a terminally sea captain who doesn’t have much time left. He decides to take himself out on one final sea voyage to die. Inspired by the Viking tradition of a deceased body being set in a boat, lit on fire and cast out to sea in a blaze of glory. He is tanked up on pain meds and his journey becomes hallucinatory. As he begins to fade, in his mind he has harpooned the sunshine and is being pulled into blissful light.”
For more from Faint On Call check out their official website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
