By Colin Fien–
Louisville-based rock outfit, The Foxery, released their debut studio EP entitled Life is Still Beautiful around the turn of the new year, and it has already begun turning heads and catching the ears of many listeners. The Foxery is no strangers to making good old-fashioned, lyrically driven rock and roll; they know what they’re doing, to say the least.
For their first studio EP, the band traveled to Atlanta to the acclaimed Glow in the Dark Studios to record. The album really shines in its production, accurately capturing the timbre of front man Calvin Fackler’s gravely – and at times nearly whispered – vocals. With chunky guitar tones that beef up the mix, shimmering clean tones that fill up the ambient space and overdriven bass, instrumentally, the album packs quite a punch. The drum tones sound impeccable inside the clear, natural reverb of Glow in the Dark’s gigantic Studio A.
In this regard, this is the best record that The Foxery has released. Other EPs, being largely self- produced and recorded, somewhat lacked in the production value that Life is Still Beautiful has. Longtime fans will feel right at home with most of these songs, with tunes like “Broken Beds” and “The Widower” that feel like more polished versions of songs heard from The Foxery before.
The band experimented with their sound in few songs, however. Tracks like “The Recluse,” which sounds somewhat like an ode to Taking Back Sunday with bassist Mike Stuart taking the lead vocal duties for majority of the song, and “Loose Lips,” akin to a heavy ‘90s grunge rock song, work well by themselves, but detract from the cohesion of the album.
A step in the right direction, Life is Still Beautiful reflects that The Foxery does indeed have a lot of life in them, and is without a doubt an indicator of big things to come in the future.
Photos courtesy The Foxery
