FERIA POP, FEBREROIndependiente, Spain ***
Rating: 68
By Carlos Reyes
It seems like a good season for music releases in Spain, in particular new bands like Febrero applying the Radiohead In Rainbows ideal form of release, you know, allowing people to pay whatever sum they feel their music might be worth. Feria Pop is exactly that, a line of well structured colorful tracks waiting to be hummed. What makes Febrero’s third EP to stand out is that it actually has a concept, and it’s more of an event; it’s an afternoon at the fair, on a date, the premise is simple enough, but the moments coming out of it are like life itself. At first glance, they sound like El Otro Yo (from Argentina) in their healthiest season; they never get as catchy and fun as “Locomotora” but are a perfect fit for their target audience. The narrative places itself in the hands of love; Febrero does evoke some moments from childhood but makes it very clear that at any circumstance, love will be the dominant force circulating throughout the attraction park. There’s no surprising intro, “Tiovivo” does its job initiating the day with the popular fair waving, welcoming the listeners to this peculiar place, and promising they will have a fun time. Things jump up quick, “Montañas Rusas”, it applies the ‘life is a rollercoaster’ but other than falling into cliché, it opts for a muscular comparison between a person and his soul mate, this time rushing through a deep fall where they’re starting to fear one another. “Autos de Choque” is the best song here, bumper cars are plenty of fun and on a date they are a thrust for bonding, going over heels for protection and crashing obstacles out of the way. There’s no such romanticism here, it’s an intense place to be in, and it’s like trying to reconcile a relationship with pessimistic thoughts revealed out loud. Once “Laberinto de Espejos” arrives, the EP goes back to a state of calmness; the house of mirrors can be nostalgic sure, but not a flat condemnation, it is way too static and one-dimensional to actually work. Things get cool once again with “Pasaje de Terror”, the pop comes back to shift the moods of an uneven emotion, that’s until the afternoon and “Noria” shut down the lights, in a dark song of redemption and inglorious outcome.