A meditation on existential confessions, wrapped in ethereal soundscapes.
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Amidst the charismatic blend of introspection and atmospheric richness, Los Angeles-based duo Fore Fader launches their much-anticipated debut album, Great Pretender. A transcendental journey through an emotively charged and spiritually resonant soundscape, Great Pretender confirms Fore Fader as the modern bearers of sonic mysticism.
Great Pretender arises from Fore Fader’s unique creation process—a seamless merger of the sacred and the emotive. Comprising ten tracks recorded amidst the contrasting ambiances of Joshua Tree’s stark silence and Los Padres Forest’s blooming vitality, the album traverses the liminal spaces between emotional futurism and spiritual awakening. Each track is a testament to the courage required to shed the pretences we live behind, turning personal truths into universal hymns.
“We wrote Great Pretender while someone we loved was in the operating room,” shares Stephanie Carlin, one-half of the duo. “She had already died once in the hospital and been brought back to life. That song became a mirror—a reminder that we all kind of coast, playing pretend and coping until something shakes us awake.” This personal narrative refracts through the album’s lens, capturing the raw essence of vulnerability wrapped in the band’s signature ethereal production.
The musicality of Fore Fader positions them in an interesting trifecta, sonically drawing influence from Björk’s emotional futurism, Crumb’s woozy psychedelia, and Massive Attack’s hypnotic pulse. Yet, tracks from Great Pretender, such as “The Rains” and “All I Ever,” render their own cosmic sound—marrying haunting harmonies with desert-inspired ambiances and cinematic percussion.
Fusing their skills, Stephanie Carlin and Carey Clayton meticulously crafted the album, embracing chaos and deliberate unraveling as catalytic forces. Their songwriting practice often involves weaving melodies to vintage film visuals, capturing the abstract and transient into music that reverberates with cosmic hope and spiritual introspection. As Stephanie describes, “Every time I think we’re close to done, Carey rips it apart and rebuilds something even more textured, more heartbreaking.”
Fore Fader’s performances transcend the typical concert experience, transforming into a collective spell where the audience chants hooks meant for peace and empowerment. Their discography reminds us to embrace wholeness, cleansing synaptic corridors clouded by pretence and disbelief.
As Great Pretender echoes across digital and physical platforms, Fore Fader extends an invitation to traverse through their mystic soundscapes and join them at the intersection where what is human and what is divine blur into one shimmering existence. A limited edition of vinyl and exclusive bundles awaits eager listeners at forefader.com/album, setting the stage for listeners to unravel the self-deception they harbour, unraveling their personal masks alongside the music’s revelatory journey.
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