“Oooooah-ow!!” Explosions of hot charisma! Erupting volcano blasts of grunge indie lava, The On Fires new record Betrayer opens strong, blissfully burning their music into your brain with a great bellowing call. The Opening track “Coming Home” sets a suprb tone to the album, full energetic sound builds, music wrought on the road, traveling through the triumphs and pitfalls of building fame, these songs are excellent, made to be played live for real fans. One is often overwhelmed with the euphoria of fuzzy guitars equalizing with robust synths and 16bit video game blips, multi-harmony choruses with vocal ranges that are easy for any voice to sing along to, if indeed yell and shout to in uproarious pub chants, with tremors warm bass and marching, quaking drums. The On Fires are eminent stadium performers, a lavish punk-rock mutation that must be played as loud as possible. Deserving to be heard the world ‘round, this is a kick in the bollocks that rock is desperately in need of.
Within Betrayer is a tour of the Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame from the perspective of a homeless vagabond who snuck in to laugh at their rivals and glorify their idols. The On Fires pick and choose from classical anthems as much as they embrace the late punk era. Guitars are alternatively juicy but never buzzy or annoying. Producer Rick Parker has a real talent for mastering distortion and taming punk ferocity into an album that is balanced well enough to be turned up all the way. There is little else better then some of these guitar / synthesizer symbiosis sounds chiming in between frequencies and haunting vocals. The On Fires have nothing to fear and are ready to set the world ablaze with music.
Vocalists Max Harman and Marty Xennoff are that rare combination; female and male singers who actually sound peerless in duet. The Harmonies are effortlessly contagious and hum in the memory. It is easy to pick up on the vibe and start singing along with the melody by the second or third listen. And it never sounds pretentious of classically choral, always punk harmonies delving into dark minors that resolve with comfort, yet still are quite unique and refreshing. This musical fusion is sublime, grabbing everyone in the audience and giving them a part to get lost in. “Sorry Now” is an especially fun song to use for blowing off some steam. Shouting along is cathartic, just don’t hurt yourself trying to keep up!
Despite being such a strong duo, one feels a little lost sometimes when only Max or Marty sings alone, though usually poetic, the song “Melancholy” doesn’t seem to fit, if still enjoyable. It seems that Max Harman may run into similar problems as Donna Jean Godchaux did with Grateful Dead Heads, as she’s trying to compete in a genre that is typically male dominated. Her voice is weakest, unfortunately on “Melancholy” because of the sliding in the chorus, “Mel~lan~choly follows me ~ar~ound,” is reminiscent of a song from 1911 Vaudeville, “My Melancholy Baby,” famous until the mid 40s. Despite the slides, the song is potently depressing in a very good way, as the emotions are truly real, but one yearns for more vocal precision from Max’s voice, such as in “Arms Open,” where her confidence and strife are powerful. Harman’s and Xenoff’s vocals both sound best supporting each other, or alternating for dramatic effect. Xenoff sounds very lonely when he breaks down in the solo to “Without.” Marty captures the tone of desolation nearly whispering “Got myself another heartache, drive myself to an early grave and if I seem a little restless, it’s ‘cause I can’t see no-” and then yells “Escape!” These experiences are real and the authenticity shines through their poetry and intensity. Their accents are quite hip and charming, well suited to the grit and ferocity of their chosen fusion of genre. Even an ugly American such as me finds their yokel twang swaying to that raw Aussie roar and punkish slang. Enviably cool sound.
Some of the synthesizers are really inspiring for capturing 80’s retro electro and fusing it to this new punk genre. In “Sorry Now” guitar and drums mimic a synthetic Thurman like ghostly sound that is incredibly creepy and energizing simultaneously. The song rolls with ease into “Nobody Wants,” progressively growing into a more tangled frustration “Scratchin’ the walls, should be easy enough to make it,” showing a potential attention to detail reminiscent of anarchistic inspiration within punk and classical rock. The romping bass of Naomi Brockenshire balances the rumbling drumming of Simon Newberry giving important foundation to the creative expanses of the other two members. The subtle consistent power of their support really allows for these incredible harmonies to take flight.
The On Fires are doubtlessly a wonderful synergy of musical styles that demand your ears attention. Betrayer is insightful, funny, punk-grunge anarchy. A well-rounded band growing into world fame, this album is the best stage for their evolution to really become exponentially awesome. Little quibblings aside, the honesty and raw indie edge are real and much appreciated in these days of over-produced pseudo-punk. It is not a perfect album, because that would be dishonest. The best moments are the little glimmers in-between that may very well be the future of international punk. The heart and soul of The On Fires is genuine burning desire that puts the majority of pop-rock to shame with their combination of technical skill an musical imagination.
Review by Julian Gorman
