100 Fables deploy every modern pop trope upcoming single Roadside
It’s always indicative of a significant rebrand when a band removes their back catalogue from streaming sites. 100 Fables are, according to the sparse information available about them right now, going “back to where they started, but at the same time ready to explore uncharted waters”. If upcoming single Roadside is anything to go by, this means pushing the band towards festival-ready EDM bangers and away from the marginally more indie sound of their previous releases.
Roadside is so polished you can practically see your reflection in it; almost verging into PC music territory but without the sense of irony. It’s a song written for festival crowds and late summer parties, the kind of track you’d expect to hear in a coming of age movie set in small-town California. The musical arrangement unobtrusively propels the vocals through the track’s radio-friendly 03:35 runtime while the lyrics dwell on the familiar themes of escape, sun-bleached road trips and amorphous relationships.
Liora’s Americanised vocals are frequently artificially pitched up and down to create the backing vocal effect heard on many of today’s biggest hits. Similarly, the instrumentation is deeply entrenched in their influences, namely Chainsmokers and Halsey, and the prevailing sonic landscape of contemporary pop. A crescendo of tremolo-laden synths slowly blinking in and out of focus before a bathetic drop screams 2020 and chart success.
Roadside is sure to be the hit it was written to be and 100 Fables are destined for the 2021 festival circuit and Netflix teen drama synchronisation.