Recommended Tracks: “Ignite”, “Pendulum”, “You Got This”, “C’est La Vie”
Artists You May Like: Brave New World, pretty havoc., Abandoned By Bears
Felicity release their debut LP- Dear Universe, this Friday, July 16th, 2021. This five piece Orlando based rock band are unstoppable amidst the pandemic, working tirelessly to perfect their craft. Performing at Vans Warped Tour in 2014, Felicity has spent the last few years really finding themselves as a band and discovering their sound. Tracked in just 30 days, Dear Universe experiments with staple rock sounds, throwing in elements of ebullient pop punk, post-rock, hardcore, and a hint of pop- in some songs showing all. They take personal experiences, from great to tragic moments, to create a beautiful work of art.
Throughout the entire album, wide scopes of emotions are shown along with various instrumental experimentation. “Carpe Diem” starts off the album by giving listeners a hint of what the following tracks are going to look like as it flows seamlessly into, “Ignite.” This song definitely fits more into the category of heavy rock mixed with pop punk. Vocalist Damien Fagiolino and bassist Mike Alosa bring an alluring kick-off to the song with a heavy, catchy bass line that compliments the vocal melody well. Spacey synths, backing chants, and a bouncy guitar riff adds pop punk elements to the song, and I personally like the variation of the two genres as I think it conveys the message of the song beautifully. “Ignite” explores feelings of catharsis as Damien talks about real, relatable struggles in a way that didn’t leave me feeling dull or apathetic.
“Pendulum” further experiments with a sound that strays from Felicity’s previous work, as it includes much heavier riffs, breakdowns and gritty vocals contradicting, “You Got This”, giving the album more diversity. This track is a lot slower and uses softer, acoustic vibes, synths and a slower beat. “You got this, you got this, as long as you’re breathing, heart beating, you’re conscious… // I’m done feeling sorry for myself, // I just gotta keep going even if I’m going through hell, // Til I’m out on the other side” Personally this song speaks to me, because through recognition comes healing and as long as you’re alive and well you can get through anything. This is an idea I think they executed very well, rather than being a harder, more intense song, they take it down a notch to really get through to listeners.
Similar to “You Got This”, “Lonely Nights” speaks clearly about real issues primarily in a soft direction. Then comes the clashing drums and intricately layered guitar riffs turning this song into a catchy, emotion churning pop punk track. My favorite song on this album would have to be the final track, “C’est la vie.” C’est La Vie translates to “that’s life”, and within the drawn out guitar lines, intricate drum patterns, explosive chorus, brings yet again another perfectly relatable track that left me feeling hopeful, and a sense of light.
Overall I’d rate this album 10/10 for a couple of different reasons. One thing I really admire about this album is the variation of genres and how it’s all constructed to come together so seamlessly. Another reason I really like this album is how they use their instrumentals to convey the message of the song better, while complimenting contrasting melodies effortlessly. I would highly recommend this album to any fellow pop punk, experimental rock lovers.
