Dystopia as a concept, is one that has been at the forefront of our imaginations as far back as 1927’s silent film “Metropolis.” Or at least, that’s what I know to be the first adaptation of it, I am not a film expert by any stretch of the imagination. For an artist that goes by the name “Friendly Timo,” the current evolution of our society’s dystopian story is transcended through his music project, The Fair Attempts.
Based out of Finland and joined by his wife Starwing as a collaborator and additional vocalist, The Fair Attempts audibly convey themes of a doomed future society we continue to move towards without any kind of consciousness or self-realization. They are self described as “Black mirrors of Industrial Rock.”
Now, based on what I’ve described so far, the notion that their sound is “Industrial” is not a surprising one. However, what makes The Fair Attempts (or “TFA”) a stand out amongst other traditional Industrial Rock acts you might be familiar with, is that their songs are also infused with beat laden substructure intended to make you want to dance. In other words, closer in approach to, let’s say, Gravity Kills than NIN per se.
As Friendly Timo has put it:
“In the middle of never-ending conflict, The Fair Attempts almost celebrates it at the same time as shedding light on the root causes of it all”
Anyone who has gone to Burning Man with me knows that boogieing right into post-apocalyptic oblivion has been my preferred approach to life too at times.
The Fair Attempts have been releasing music as early as 2018, starting with a string of singles that Timo considers “demos” and “experimental” in nature, but that eventually led to the core of what TFA is today musically. This initial collection of singles, as a set entitled “Indoctrination,” were eventually pulled off the market, but there have been talks recently of plans to possibly re-release them again at some point later. It was with 2019’s “Aristotal” EP and “Bad Battery” single, that the gas mask wearing figure (A.K.A. the “TFA Guy”) and dystopian themed aesthetic present in today’s TFA as we know it, was born. They have been distributing multiple releases consistently every year since then.
And what’s next for TFA? They just released a new single entitled “My Frozen Heart” last week on August 26th. This is the first single to be released from the band’s upcoming fourth album currently in production and of the same name. Timo had revealed his inspiration for song:
“I got inspired by the sate of the world after all of this Covid panic. The world around us seems to be teeming with all kinds of conflicts and crises that potentially continue to create even more conflicts. In the dystopian story of TFA, mankind finds itself in a state of the world brought on by constant conflict. I wanted to depict a state of soul and mind of a person in the middle of it all. Some of us live in a constant state of conflict even within ourselves.”
So there you have it, our dystopian story is now concurrent with the current events of COVID. Unlike, you know, a film almost a hundred years old now (referencing back to “Metropolis”) that some might say things about like, “oh that’s so funny to see how outdated it is and how THEY thought it would all go down…” You know, like how that movie had workers lined up in systematic compliance designed for their own self-destruction? Oh wait…bad example. Or how about how the movie depicted a degradation of humanity towards others despite all that were sacrificed before them?…. Okay… that’s another bad example. Well… how about how in that OLD TIMEY movie, the pleasures of society could only be derived by machinery? Haha! Oh…right.
You know what? TFA should just put “Based on a True Story” stickers on their records instead of “Parental Advisory.”
Yeah, you’re the good guy
You’re the one who’s right
And all we have is your might against mine
Keep coming back
Get some more
Sudden death
From father to son
I’m the reason why the war rages on
Come read my thoughts
And you will see
A different world
Between you and me
We
Fall
Forever
Deep in our frozen hearts
We live and die
In a stereo lie
It takes the two to dance
Through this show
Are you ready to meet
My frozen heart?
Tonight the might is right
So you don’t have to be alone
And you don’t even know
How it feels to be alone
I’m your only friend
I’m your enemy
Like a healing scar
You tear me open again and again
Take a look inside of me
Now you’re heading for your war
War you never won
‘Cause I’m the reason
Why the war is raging on
And your blood still
Spills the same
We
Lyrics to “My Frozen Heart” by The Fair Attempts
Fall
Forever
Deep in our frozen hearts
We live and die
In a stereo lie
It takes the two to dance
Through this show
Are you ready to meet
My frozen heart?
Tonight the might is right
So you don’t have to be alone
Follow TFA Online:
Twitter // Website // Spotify // Bandcamp
Listen to TFA and many more awesome independent artists on AMS Radio & our playlists:
AMS Radio Apple Music Playlists:
“Indie Anarchy” on Apple Music
“AMS Radio: Indie Archives Vol. 3” on Apple Music
“AMS Radio: Indie Archives Vol. 2” on Apple Music
“Indie Archives” on Apple Music
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One response to “The Fair Attempts Dance into Apocalypse”
[…] every release has been in step with what began in August of 2022 with the single, “My Frozen Heart.” Of the singles released to date, “Lotus Head” is perhaps my favorite thus far. […]
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