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Far Away From Fiji

You've Come A Long Way

Written by: HES on 15/03/2013 11:00:36

Far Away From Fiji is a three-piece Copenhagen indie-band. The band believes in releasing EP’s, because they simply “can’t wait to release new songs” – referring to the long process of recording a full-length album. The drummer of the band Jeppe Kolstrup is a video artist and this has a heavy influence on the band’s feeling of identity: They explain their mission statement as “to create a soundtrack for an imaginary movie”. That feature is what makes Far Away From Fiji a quite remarkable band, pairing musical aesthetics with the listeners imagination. “You’ve Come A Long Way” is the third EP the band has released.

With all that talk of imaginary movies and art, it’s hard to believe that Far Away From Fiji actually started out as a punk band. The band states on their facebook-page that they “couldn’t play fast enough. We kept the simplicity and started writing good melodies”. I’m not sure I hear any punk references on “You’ve Come A Long Way” – but I understand the aspect of simplicity they have taken from it. The soundscape is quite “simple” but to avoid negative connotation I’d rather use the words “stripped of unnecessary filling”. Because even though the band only has three members, the sound of each instrument appears very rich. This is mainly due to their very analogue way of recording. Even though this way of recording (as made famous by The Raveonettes) is very “on trend” in indie music at the moment, Far Away From Fiji manages to gain the nostalgia of the method without sounding “old” or “retro”.

“You’ve Come A Long Way” consist of three original songs, which is on the low side quantity-wise, but luckily not in quality. The main track and single from the EP “Sirenia” starts out with tranquil, fingerplayed guitar riff. Front man Rasmus Zedlitz voice joins the guitar in an adolescent, longing voice. The synth joins the mix in an updated eighties style, lifting the song up from its initially sleepy state. In general the use of synth is very well placed. Even though the songs are mainly melancholic and the synth very up-beat, this juxtaposition adds momentum and foresight. The song “Restless” is more of a meditative ballad, a proof of the simplicity mentioned above and its beauty. The major portion of the song is only Zedlitz’ voice and one simple guitar - but the ambience of the analogue recording technique adds the extra layer. The title track “You’ve Come A Long Way” has a chanting quality to it as Zedlitz repeats the title line again and again in the chorus supported by guitars and a tambourine.

All in all “You’ve Come A Long Way” is an exercise in the beauty in simplicity. The simplicity in many ways leaves the interpretation up to the listener. They’ve also found a new way of using old ways of synthesizing without it being too generic and without becoming a “period band”. My only appeal is, that next time they release an EP, they’d put more tracks on it. With only three rather short tracks it can feel like too short of an experience – taking into consideration that the band wants their music to create “soundtracks for an imaginary movie” – this feels a little too much like a soundtrack to a short film.

Download: "Sirenia", "Restless" and "You've Come A Long Way"
For The Fans Of: Death Cab for Cutie, Vampire Weekend, The Raveonettes
Listen: facebook.com/farawayfromfiji

Release Date 21.02.2013
Self Released