Review: FAKE PROBLEMS ‘Real Ghosts Caught On Tape’

You know how sometimes you check out a new band and you’re like “I dig them,” and you buy their cd but if someone were to go into your itunes play count they’d SO call you out?

Not the case for Fake Problem’s Real Ghosts Caught On Tape–“Soulless” itself has 58 plays and none of this accounts for the secret stream link I had a week before I got the physical copy.

IT’S TRUE LOVE.

But “WHAT IS IT LIKE!?” you ask, because you’re reading this in class and it seems more conspicuous than looking at pictures of John Ohh Shirtless but MAN WILL YOU GET TO THE POINT?

It’s some good rock n’ roll. It’s a little punky, a little folky and absolutely hearty. Sometimes those of us who don’t know music in a technical way grasp for words to describe our experience with the album, so let me say this: If this album were a meal, it’d be filling and perfectly satisfying and tasty but not because of preservatives or sugar.

This album is the antidote to auto tune overkill and (it even hurts me to type this) crunk. They’re an optimistic Against Me. They’re a gritty Phantom Planet. There is not a single out of place song on this release.

“It’s Great To Be Alive” was the title of their 2009 release, but that’s still a sentiment that this album stirs up–and really, who can get enough of that? It’s feel-good and honest. It has has retro elements, a breezy beach feeling on some tracks. It’s a solid bunch of shoulder-shaking tracks. WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT FROM ME?! JUST GO GET IT!! Pre-order! Something!

And guess what? All this translates into their live performance. I watched them play on the AP/Advent Stage at Warped last Wednesday and–not to reduce this to a shallow argument–but they’re also an attractive band. Be still my heart.

In short, they have a lot of things going for them.

Best song for driving into the sunset with your besties: ‘ADT’Song that’s going to translate SO F*CKING WELL live: ‘5-6-7-8’Song that’s FREE so for crying out loud go GET IT: ‘Soulless’

You can have the FP release in your hot little hands on September 21st.