New single Future Shadows (FatCat, 12th December) makes the most of the electrifying leap forward from the “cosmic Americana” of Forest Fire’s debut, Survival to the songwriting focus of sophomore Staring At The X, where swaggering instant-classic hooks meet darkly insistent British new-wave-styled pop. Rejecting the ‘what’s next’ attitude plaguing so many of the NYC/Brooklyn scene songwriter/vocalist Mark Thresher explains “This record is our attempt to be more of an ambitious songwriter/rock band, rather than a weird folk band.”
Debut Survival was a record more highly praised in some quarters than contemporious releases by Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver. Rough Trade Shop called it “an absolute revelation” and put it in their 2009 Top Ten while The Guardian’s Paul Lester noted “a general air of beat-poet cool and a careless articulacy to the lyrics that heightens the impression of the band as quintessential SoHo bohos.”
Forest Fire were originally ‘discovered’ by taste-making blogger Ryan Catbird after he randomly downloaded some of their music on a file-sharing site because he liked the band name. He released their debut album, Survival, on his own label in 2008; Infinite Best reissuing it in the US in 2009 (Broken Sound and Talitres in Europe). FatCat plan to reissue Survival in the UK in early 2012.
Forest Fire are songwriter/vocalist Mark Thresher, guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Nathan Delffs, bassist/multi-instrumentalist Natalie Stormann, drummer Robert Pounding and producer/keyboardist Adam Spittler.
Live Dates:
28/11/11: The Shipping Forecast – Liverpool
29/11/11: Chameleon Arts Cafe – Nottingham
30/11/11: Cockpit – Leeds
02/12/11: Cluny 2 – Newcastle
03/12/11: Westgarth SC – Middlesborough
04/12/11: Hoxton Bar and Grill – London
05/12/11: Sticky Mikes – Brighton
