Far West’s latest single, “It Feels New” is an indie synth pop gem that has an OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) feel to it. I particularly liked the high passed picked bass that drives the track along nicely.
The guitar sound in the verses reminded me of The Cure (especially “In Between Days”) There was excellent separation between different sections on this track which manage to maintain my interest.
The thing I noticed most here was the musicianship. Top class sax playing and the drums were on point and fitted the OMD/ 80s early 90s pop feel that spoke to me throughout the song.
For me, I was disappointed in the production. It’s a fantastic song and I can really feel this being one which would benefit from a remix/master.
The vocals and sax solo were both absolutely excellent but very much lost in the mix. I had to really strain to hear them trying to compete with everything else that was happening. Drums, again, played superbly; they almost had a Bonnie Tyler “I need a hero” feel to them in places, but I was only able to really hear the quality of the playing by bringing up the top frequencies beyond where I’d be comfortable with if I were to be remastering, rather than remix and master. I just felt the production lacked a little life.
The above production comments aside, I really did love the song and whilst I’m giving this 3 out of 5, with some work, I have no doubt it has huge potential. Huge.
