Northern Faces first fronted the stage as Around the World and Back, forming in 2008. After the release of two EP’s – “Van. Go. 08” and “Songs to Sleep to” – the band put forth a stunning debut album, Big Beat. It was well received here at Team Hellions, making high rank on both the albums and the songs charts of 2011. That album echoed loudly, as did the songs themselves, to land them on the label Equal Vision; which are home to some of the greatest names in alternative music, such as Portugal. The Man, The Dear Hunter, Say Anything, and Chiodos. After a slight lineup change on drums, the group locked themselves away in Vermont to work on their first set of tracks as Northern Faces, what would become the EP, Southern Places.
Upon listening Big Beat, you could tell that this was a serious band. Their D-I-Y styles was very ambitious, their song writing mature. In short, they sounded like a band who had been doing it for a decade or more. The production on that debut album was immaculate; you could at certain times point out where the quality faltered a bit, but even more, you could point out where they would work within those confines to make it function for them.
On Southern Places, there is a dramatic increase to the recording quality of the record. What’s even more admirable is how much the band are involved in the recording process. From producing, to recording and engineering, the group is involved in every single step. The ambition of this band has carried over in large supply as well. Bryan Shortell and Marco Testa continue to trade off lead vocal duty, and the band as a whole continue to produce compelling songs, all six in number on Southern Places.
The EP opens with the light, airy track “Under My Skin.” From the get-go, the track feels like an homage to their previous incarnation, and how they will always carry it with them. Instrumentally, this is a song that will overcome you, with the feeling of letting it all go, but also of knowing that the past is there. It marks the journey that this EP will take you through. The next subsequent track, “Poor Moonlight,” slings a sinister beat, and a similar set of guitars; “…Moonlight” acts as an opening into some dangerous places. “You Not Me” is the acknowledgement of all that negativity, and who it affects. This track is airy as well, with a booming chorus that reaches toward the heavens.
The next two tracks, “Dark Days” & “Side of the Road,” continue that dark decent with stunning musicianship: the melody feels like it wavers at the end of a knife. “Dark Days” is the decent, as the main character says: “I found my home, down a dark hole…” “Side of the Road” sounds like a tribute to the night, as it evokes that feeling, perfectly. The final track, “Finding Hope,” offers up some of the album’s best lyrical moments; “Finding hope is all we know, Life’s a river not a road, flowing down a mountain slope, and where it goes we’ll never know.” As the song moves along, a booming guitar melody enters, sounding like the best of Pink Floyd, minimal in use, but sustained long enough for good effect. It’s also the perfect compliment to “Under My Skin,” as the track works in a similar motif.
Southern Places is a spectacular start to Northern Faces’ stay at Equal Vision records. The storytelling and songwriting on this record… of this band are something to be truly admired, and to be replayed over and over again until their songs are known by heart. As Southern Places emphasizes the journey, so to does it embody the journey that this band has taken and continues to move on. Their path has brought them here, and with a solid release as this, the journey can only be more enjoyable, and enlightening from here.
Album Rating: Buy It on CD or Vinyl
Listener Co-efficient: Active Listen
Band Website: https://www.facebook.com/northernfaces
Equal Vision Band Page: http://www.equalvision.com/artist/Northern_Faces
Twitter: https://twitter.com/northernfaces
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