“We’re at the crossroads now, my dear†sings Forest Falls frontman, Jon O’Neill, on track one of the forthcoming Hounds EP. Whilst O’Neill might have penned this from an initial point of introspect, he has also depicted – inadvertently – the Artist’s condition. It’s an unspoken ultimatum; to dedicate and create, or to hold back and wonder what might have been? Forest Falls is a band that has, undoubtedly, taken the right turn; and an exciting one at that.
The Hounds EP manifests the highly praised songwriting styles of previously released Forest Falls tracks such as ‘Julia’, which Triple J’s Dom Alessio fondly dubbed a “musical gemâ€. Still, there are considerable and exciting evolutions taking place here. The vocal arrangements and harmonies that Forest Falls showcase on the record are all at once intricate and attention grabbing. O’Neill’s voice has come into its own; honed, warm and beautiful, with an impressive falsetto and the ability to navigate melodies with endless ease. The dynamic use of space and earworm hooks peppered throughout lead single ‘Hounds’ contrasts beautifully with the rich instrumental arrangements of tracks such as ‘Ghost’ and ‘Where Do We Go?’. It’s an EP that thinks through, incorporates and then transcends each one of the band’s many influences.
Writers have likened Forest Falls’ musical touchstones to bands such as The Middle East, Jonathan Boulet, Arcade Fire, and British alt-rock powerhouse, Elbow. The band’s personal penchants range from Black Lips (Shaun Stolk – Guitar) and Parliament (Jeremy Hallett – Bass) through to Stars (Gabe Federico-Matthews – Keys/Guitar), Sharon Van Etten (Lucy Rash – Vocals/Keys/Violin/Guitar), Kanye (Jon O’Neill), and Prince (Jamie Daborn – Drums). What might appear as a mismatch of affinities at first is actually regarded by the six-piece as the keystone of the Forest Falls’ success: every member brings a rich musical history and solid set of instrumental skills to the table, culminating in the thoughtful, anthemic indie-folk of pure Forest Falls branding.
O’Neill fondly recalls the first time he suggested the group “grab a beer†and instead the band shamelessly agreed a cuppa-tea might be more enticing. “In the past, I’ve felt a strange pressure to be more rock n’ roll around people in the music scene†Jon muses, “but with the guys in Forest Falls we’re all content being honest and open about what we value and what we want, be it in regards to tea or tunes …and I think it’s paying offâ€.
In late 2014, fans validated Forest Falls’ commitment to its music when the band embarked on a Pozible crowdfunding campaign. A huge $10,000 was raised with the promise of a new release; suddenly, the impossible seemed less so. Having admired the work of Wayne Connolly (Cloud Control, Josh Pyke, You Am I) unknowingly for most of his life, O’Neill approached the five-time ARIA award-winning producer with a series of demos. Soon enough, the band made the trip to Alberts Studios in Sydney. Connolly’s ‘midas touch’ was invaluable. “He encouraged and nurtured us through any lingering songwriter’s block, offering us full reign of his gear (some vintage, some state of the art). So much musical wisdom, and he is a downright lovely human being as wellâ€, recalls Jon.
With the fan-funded Hounds EP raring to go, a tour looming and a host of other tunes in the pipeline, Forest Falls is a band worth hunting for.