Funeral Lakes take a stand in new political EP
Funeral Lakes are an indie rock duo from Toronto and feature musicians Sam Mishos and Chris Hemer. Since releasing their debut album last year, the pair have now released their new EP Golden Season. The new record is a strongly political yet comforting analysis of the world we live in.
Funeral Lakes
Throwing in some new energy into the indie rock and folk genres, Sam and Chris have been self-producing music in their apartment since 2018. Their music is political and heavily critical of the world we live in, but their exploration of all our fears and fustrations also provides comfort. They are, in fact, holding our hands through all the doom and gloom.
Golden Season: Review
The new EP was written, produced and perfomed by Chris and Sam, with the help of Charlie Van on drums and Colin Spratt as sound engineer. Whereas their debut album covered topics from environmental descruction to political fustration, along with this Golden Season also explores toxic masculinity, declining industry and our life experiences of the current age. At such an uncertain and transitioning time, a record like this is certainly timely.
The opening track ‘Eternal Return’ kicks off the EP on the strongest musical footing. Dealing with toxic masculinity, worrying governments and false politicians, it encompasses many of our fustrations. ‘Earth Falls’ then takes a step further with this idea, with its presentation of a world on the brink of collapse. The song’s trajectory then reaches a discussion of how we process that and how we can make it better. These two tracks can be especially relatable for people who aren’t inspired by where the world is heading.
In terms of how it makes use of alternative rock and folk, the EP upholds the power of storytelling with its analysis of the world and our experiences. ‘Eternal Return’ glides along its strumming guitar riffs, Chris’ cynical vocals and its invitation to digest what the hell is going on. Then, it moves from ethereal thoughts to increasing confrontation with the drums picking up. Here, the pair dismantle sayings that now have lost all meaning.
Although ‘Earth Falls’ revolves more around the world’s collapse, the music is in fact warmer with its vocal interplay between Chris and Sam and the synths. This draws the listener into the track’s world-changing manifesto and eventual uproar in the final quarter.
The record even becomes quite punk in certain places. ‘Power Trip’ thrives on its confrontational nature as it battles with the structures that cripple society. Here, Sam takes centre stage with her emotionally charged vocals, pairing nicely with the electronic guitar. Therefore, due to the relentless spirit of all three tracks, you feel less dishearted and more empowered to take action.
Final verdict
Overall, Golden Season finds itself at a turning point. It must reflect on the worst elements of our present to move smoothly towards a future. Although at face value the record seems very critical, cynical and focused on the world’s worst characteristics, Golden Season is in fact a call to action to take count of what we appreciate and who we love, with a substantial dose of encouragement for us to create our own blueprint for a better world. Therefore, it holds incredible hope and comfort at its feet.
You can check out more of Funeral Lakes’ music on Bandcamp and Spotify, as well as following their journey on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
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