Forty Foot Release Emotional New Single ‘Constellation’ (Irish Alt-Rock/Grunge)
Forty Foot – Constellation (Spotify link)
Following the success of their single, the alt-rock behemoth ‘Toothache’, Dublin’s finest purveyors of 90’s-tinged rock Forty Foot return with new track ‘Constellation’. Bearing all the hall marks of a classic Forty Foot track, crashing drums, gnarly fuzz bass and distortion drenched guitars, they find space to dial down the sonic onslaught but dial-up the emotion. Front man Sam speaks to the writing process of the track, after Mark (guitar) brought a melody to him it seemed to follow a natural path that led him to write about the close relationship he has with his dad. On ‘Constellation’ the band continue to forge a path with their signature sound that pulls from alt-rock royalty Smashing Pumpkins and Hum, backed by emotive lyrics and razor-sharp melodies.
Formed in 2019 following the sudden death of a close friend and collaborator the band choose their name as a tribute to him. The band have spent the last four years honouring their friend by putting out a collection of singles that have caught the sharpened ears of the Irish music press, earning them accolades from Hot Press (Track of the Day), Rock n Load, Genuine Irish, IMRO, Golden Plec and Indie Buddie.
Starting off with some chimed chords it isn’t long before the drums join with a gunshot kick snare pattern, and some fuzzed out reverb shoegaze guitar lead from Mark takes us into the verse. The band have already shown us on previous releases that they’re more than capable of heads down rocks and acoustic renditions, on ‘Constellations’ they find a middle ground. Keeping the in-your-face guitars and pummelling drums but giving way to quieter moments allowing space for Sam’s vocals to be the focus and in doing that give him space to convey the emotion of the track. Keith’s bass keeps things grungy and gnarly throughout, so they never lose that alt-rock edge. The chorus hits like the sun rising over the horizon with ethereal vocals added to mix that lean into their more shoegaze influences. Sam says the track is about his relationship with his dad, even going as far as to make a photo of them together the art work for the track. Eschewing his normal approach of burying meaning in metaphor and turn of phrase the lyrics for the track are much more direct, “I love you so much, I’m sorry I let you down, Can we move on, can we just figure it out”. The vulnerability coupled with the dreamier approach to the sonics of the track make this a standout track in the Forty Foot catalogue.
Keeping their collaborative relationship going, they turned to Conor McLoughlin of Sick Love, who the band have worked with on a number of previous releases. The band recorded the track in their rehearsal room in Yellowdoor, a hub for creatives in Dublin.
The single comes ahead of a larger body work that will be released early next year.