The Faint
Egowerk
March 15th 2019
Saddle Creek Records
Pre-orders available HERE
You may think that Omaha, Nebraska is only known for its corn, cows, and 311, but there’s more to the city’s music scene than you’d believe. Hometown heroes The Faint are the perfect reminder that the city I’ve come to love has grown some truly phenomenal artists that have helped to define multiple genres across the globe. The Faint have evolved into a cyber-punk outfit, and the band’s upcoming release is boiling over with themes of the darker side of social media, and it’s affects on modern society.
Egowerk, the band’s 10th studio album since their 1995 debut, shows the band continuing to evolve their unique style and pushing the boundaries of indie 80’s style electronic dance infused rock music. Egowerk creates a stylistic sonic landscape that pays homage to the band’s earliest work while still allowing them to push forward well into the 21st century.
Egowerk’s tracks work together on multiple levels. I’m excited to hear Child Asleep, the album’s bombastic opener, played live but as a studio track, I can also close my eyes and picture the crowd bouncing along to the hammering beats. Alien Angel has a funky bass line that meshes so well with its synth driven chords. The album’s title track is reminiscent of classic 80’s Atari video game sounds, yet has more than enough oomph behind it to be played in a packed dance club. One first listen, I imagine Own My Eyes, and Source of the Sun blasting through the speakers of the Mainframe’s dance club in the Tron Universe.
Well into their 3rd decade, The Faint has mastered the art of fusing multiple genres into one sensational experience that is often imitated but has yet to be properly duplicated.
