Everything You’re Looking for In a Truly Independent Band
Hailing from New Brunswick, Canada, Flycatcher are a band that one finds difficult to put an exact label on. Aside from indie in the truest meaning of the word.
The type of group that years ago would have been the gem in the rough a truly curious indie music fan would search and starve for.
No adherence to specific sound or genre, a unique blend of guitars, driving rhythm section and personal, literate lyrics.
There’s a lot of bands I love making music today that seemingly want desperately to find their niche, or to “be a band like…[fill in the blank].” Think of the stereotypical midwest emo band, or neo-indie-boy-band that many groups clearly fall into. Not to say there aren’t plenty of groups that fit in a specific genre or sound that are very good, or putting their own unique spin with their sound, but I do notice when I hear a new group that bucks this trend by having their own sound that doesn’t fit cleanly into many comparisons with other current artists.
I’m reminded of a band like Gaslight Anthem when they first came out that although they admittedly are basically doing a Springsteen act, were in fairness doing something no one else at the time was.
Flycatcher could maybe be most closely identified with a punk-style in today’s current meaning of the genre, but they’re significantly nuanced and well instrumented, as well as fairly well produced for a group that has only recorded a couple of mini-albums and some additional singles since 2018.
2019’s Songs for Strangers has some really great songs. A lot evoke a sense of 90s alternative nostalgia, see “Torn” which sadly is not a cover of Natalie Imbruglia, but is in fact much better.
Flycatcher’s most recent release, their single “Games” has been a song I’ve had on repeat almost non-stop since it dropped. It’s a lyrical road trip break-up story with a catchy riff (a common occurrence in most of their songs) and chorus.
Flycatcher are simply a breath of fresh air in the indie scene the more and more I listen to them. The freedom to create their own unique sound and message on each track reminds me why the best music inevitably comes from the independent artist given the chance to experiment and create exactly what they want.
Best Song:
“Games” (Single)
Honorable Mentions:
“Torn” from Songs for Strangers
“Distances, Pt. 1” from Other Things
Best Lyric:
“And I know that I’ve changed, I couldn’t tell you how but all I know is that I’m not the same” from “Games”