Without a doubt, one of the greatest aspects of music enthusiasm is the ability to connect to different times and spaces through creations both new and old. While we stumble blindly through our modern world, hindered by the constant noise of the tangible, we must not forget our ties to the invisible and ethereal nature of art and creation; these can link us and transport us to any time and place we want. Phantastic Ferniture bring this concept to a whole new level in their music video for Gap Year, only the band’s second single which comes as a surprise when you delve into their fully realised musical endeavors.
Phantastic Ferniture’s video for Gap Year is a 70s throwback swimming in a pool of warm garage vibes in the track’s catchy hooks and gorgeous vocal delivery.
If you could apply an all-consuming colour scheme to the 1970’s it would involve the autumnal beige, brown and natural timber colours seen so regularly in relics from the time. Phantastic Ferniture manage to incorporate such colours in their friendly video. Bringing alt rock vibes to the gentle refrain of brilliantly controlled breathed vocals works on a whole new level in Gap Year providing equal parts beauty and catchy hooks in vast quantities.
The tune could easily draw comparisons to alt rock bands of days gone by, The Strokes and The Hives spring to mind in the jangles of Fender guitars yet, we hear tinges of Cat Power and The Cranberries in the at times soft but constantly hypnotizing vocal which seems to be the band’s draw-card and unique edge in its technically controlled delivery and enticing emotional impact.
The gentle pulses of the groove soon build into a whacked-out psych fest in the climax of the song, we swim through raging torrents of reverb and dry off with fuzz towels until the bitter-sweet end, simply prompting further listening. Gap Year is a benevolent ear worm that wraps around your grey-matter and cleans it of negativity, the gentle strokes of its tongue the only thing separating you from the tangible, the inept, the boring. To accompany said masterful songwriting, the video makes a solid companion.
Opening with a cheeky ice-lolly licking drummer Ryan K Brennan, the video opens slowly into a shot of the band, seemingly in their element. The viewer can only watch on in waves of sheer delight while mesmerised by the floppy fringe of Brennan that flies around gracefully like a brown, silk veil. The 70’s throwback cabin abounds with natural beauty in the form of pot plants and green climbing leaves making their way into the smallest crevices of the room, even twisting around guitar straps and drum stands. The group nonchalantly cruise through their fantastic indie pop and spill good vibes over you like a vat of melted chocolate.
There seems to be all this and more coming from Phantastic Ferniture in the future. They are not only a band to watch but a band to enjoy in the moment, one that harkens back to innocent days of old while maintaining a modern and thoughtful musical edge. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for the future endeavors of these indie rock magicians.
