Foyer Red – Yarn the Hours Away

There exists a paradox at the heart of Foyer Red. Mechanically, ruthlessly impressive with their agitated rhythms and desire to duck, dive and deceive at every turn, their music also has an almost-naive sincerity to it, its wide-eyed delivery captivating in its emotional directness. As with their debut EP, Zigzag Wombat, Yarn the Hours Away is twee as fuck, a glorious collision of free-flowing, filter-less observations and abrupt changes in tone and time signatures that is sure to force the most confused of jigs.

It comes as no surprise to read inspirations include acts such as Omni on Foyer Red’s Bandcamp page. The vocal ping-pong between Elana Riordan and Mitch Myers on Unwaxed Flavored Floss and interlocking instrumentation on Barnyard Bop delight in their precision. There is also more than a touch of the intensity of Los Campesinos! on tracks such as ‘Etc.’, a song also boasting perhaps my favourite lyric on the record: “If nature is unjust, then change it if you can.”

Foyer Red’s ultimate USP however is their collective ear for a melody amongst the mayhem, with the closing two songs, ‘Big Paws’ and ‘Toy Wagon’, among their best. The former is replete with twists and turns each as lush as the last, calling to mind, as the record does on multiple occasions, the wrenching indie of Laura Stevenson. ‘Toy Wagon’, which initiated the growth of the band as they searched for a guest vocalist, meanwhile adopts a softer, less frantic pace, complete with the sweetest of harmonies to end. The apparent paradox is an illusion; this is upfront, earnest music for upfront, earnest hearts. Just don’t try and keep pace.