It’s been an incredibly long time since Flight Facilities have released an album, but clearly, it was worth the wait. The duo have just released their latest LP ‘FOREVER’ in time for the summer, which to be honest, is the best time to listen to Flight Facilities’ music.
One of the best things about Flight Facilities is their ability to create a track filled with warmth. Before, I said summer is the best time to listen to a Flight Facilities track, and that’s because their music is so vibrant, so upbeat, so refreshing, that playing it in any setting other than a sunny day just doesn’t have the same impact.
This may also be why ‘Forever’ was released so close to the beginning of summer, so we can enjoy each track as the weather gets warmer and the beach calls to us.
The tracks that best encapsulate the summer-y vibe on ‘Forever’ are definitely ‘What I Want’ and ‘Stay’. Both tracks feel like sunbeams, hitting your skin with an incredible heat and the melodies play on.
Buzzing tones open ‘What I Want’, with airy vocals swirling around a slower tempo. Although the track has a slower pace, it definitely doesn’t feel sleepy. There’s an ease to this track that feels incredibly welcoming and reminds you of long days by the pool.
‘Stay’ is a bit more fast-paced than ‘What I Want’ as the melody has a lot of movement. Synths twinkle and twist around sweet atmospherics, whilst the solid beat stomps beneath airy synths. ‘Stay’ feels like a driving song. You know it’s heading somewhere as the melody propels it forward and you’re excited to see where it’s going.
Of course, when you’re feeling warm, you’re eventually going to want to cool off. Luckily, there are tracks on ‘FOREVER’ that also radiate a more refreshing vibe, with deeper synths dancing amongst other iconic Flight Facilities production elements.
‘Heavy’ is a refreshing track that will remind long-time Flight Facilities fans of a little ditty called ‘Crave You’. The track is upbeat, but has a hint of sadness to it thanks to its beautiful lyrics. Airy synths wade us into the track, before the bridge becomes sharper and more piercing. ‘Heavy’ is very danceable, with the crunchy samples adding a bit of grit to the more delicate elements, but ‘Altitude’, another cooler song on ‘FOREVER’, takes deeper into the ocean of Flight Facilities’ musical magic.
‘Altitude’ feels a bit haunting from the get-go. Ghostly guitars and echoing vocals float softly together as the song slowly builds to include a series of powerful strings. It’s a very cinematic song and carries a lot of heft. It’s beautiful to hear and feels like a deep swim in the ocean, when you’re submerged somewhere and can only hear your thoughts.
‘If Only I Could’ is also a cooler track, but feels more refreshing than ‘Heavy’ and ‘Altitude’ in that it feels like a big splash of freshwater hitting your warm skin. The track features a series of nature samples that create an incredibly calming vibe, before warm atmospherics lead in Emma Louise’s delicate vocals. The percussion on ‘If Only I Could’ is very groovy, with sweet chimes adding an extra ethereal tone to the already wonderful melody. This track could best be described as a waterfall in a humid forest, adding invigorating freshness to an overall vibrant track.
The wonderful thing about ‘FOREVER’ is that although it embraces Flight Facilities’ more beloved production elements, it also experiments with new arrangements as well.
‘The Ghost’ is very different for Flight Facilities. The crunchy vocals blend in with a beat that slaps its way through buzzing samples and darker synths. It’s almost as if they’ve created a track where the TV static you’d see every so often in the late 90’s has come alive and it’s trying to speak to you. It’s haunting, but very, very cool.
‘Move’ is also a bit different, as it leans into more classic house elements than any other track on the album. A pulsating beat accompanies slapping pads and popping tones, giving true house fans something to soak in. The track is incredibly fun, and incredibly danceable like a few other tracks on ‘FOREVER’, but we’ll get to those after we’ve talked about the song that’s really the musical encapsulation of Clint Eastwood, ‘Pain’.
‘Pain’ is really smooth and feels like it’s been taken straight out of a Western film. Fast-paced percussion is accompanied by sliding guitars and popping tones that are subtle scattered amongst the exciting melody. Despite having such smooth elements, the track has grit. It’s strong and really feels powerful to listen to.
Now, it’s time to dance! No Flight Facilities album would be complete without a few bangers in there that you’ll no doubt be hearing in every club you set foot in for the rest of the year.
‘Light’s Up’ is probably the most infectious track on ‘Forever’. The tones pair incredibly well with the smooth vocals, provided by Channel Tres, and builds as disco-inspired synths are slowly added into the mix. ‘Light’s Up’ is funky, sultry and full of swagger and you cannot help but love it.
‘Wait & See’ is also a lot of fun, as it’s bouncing beat travels over BRUX’s warped vocals and twinkling synths. The melody here is vibrant, dreamy and slightly robotic. The technological elements paint a rainbow over gentle atmospherics and you cannot help but sway along with the uplifting strings.
Finally, we have the album’s title track, ‘FOREVER’. This will no doubt be the track you’ll be hearing absolutely everywhere this summer, whether you’re in a club or just having drinks with your friends at a sunset barbecue. The pulsing beat pounds through warm atmospherics and shining synths coat the melody like a blanket of glitter, just to keep things feeling a little magical. ‘FOREVER’ is so energetic, so danceable and just so damn exciting to listen to. You just want to listen to it over and over again, staying in this wonderful world Flight Facilities have created with BROODS.
‘FOREVER’ is a beautiful album and has something for not only the diehard Flight Facilities fans (of which there are many!), as well as the music aficionados who love to hear how much an artist has grown since their last big release.
There’s a reason why Flight Facilities are one of Australia’s most beloved acts and it’s because they’re able to create music that instantly sends you to a place that feels so nice and comfortable, that you just never want to leave. ‘FOREVER’ is a wonderful album that you’ll never want to stop listening to, ever.