The Fantasia
‘Something on Your Mind’
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“Something on Your Mind” marks the confident arrival of newcomers The Fantasia to Belfast’s band scene.
While the four-piece band formed in 2019 and have since played numerous shows across the North, supporting more established regulars in Buffalo Bay and Saint Sapphire, The Fantasia, like many new artists, had their momentum halted by the coronavirus outbreak in Spring. As things started to ease a little in Summer, the band was able to continue their progress and signed a deal with local record label Traxx, and began their long awaited recording process, to make the talent that was clear from their live shows apparent to a wider audience – their debut single does exactly that.
The melancholy tone of the track is set by the isolated strumming guitar, before it bursts alive with some absolutely stellar drumming, a tuneful bassline and a great drawn-out guitar melody. Patrick Silver’s drum performance is almost Stephen Morris-esque, hitting the high-hats with a well-calculated rhythmic fury that keeps the track as tight a possible. Another likeness to Joy Division can be found in the track’s faint, ghostly synth melodies, however the overall sound of The Fantasia is quite different to that of the legendary Manchester band – the fact that they share these likenesses despite their difference, is testament to The Fantasia’s sonic diversity as an indie band.
In terms of the songwriting, the lyrics of the band’s debut single matches its sound, going through ideas of distance between two people – not physical distance but rather the distance between people when together. Vocalist Gerard McLarnon pleads ‘is there something on your mind tonight?’ putting us in an all-too-similar situation when you are present with someone, whether it be a friend, partner or lover, yet they are completely absent. Their physical presence is all they have given you: ‘standing close to you, still I stand, but I'm so far from you’, their mind is far and their heart further. The lyrics are few but extremely expressive, McLarnon and Silver showing that their talents go beyond that of vocalist/bassist and drummer, respectively. While the mixing and production show some room for improvement, The Fantasia emerge here with a brilliant debut single, leaving us hungry for more. We’re keenly awaiting the release of their E.P., and we think you should be too.
Listen to ‘Something on Your Mind’ here