Forty Foot Release Emotional New Single ‘Miles Away’
The best music evokes an emotional response from the listener, pulling on some deep seeded emotional cord and instantly provoking a subconscious connection to the special alchemy in the chords and melody, taking you back to that place and time locked in a memory. This is exactly the case with the massive new single from Forty Foot, ‘Miles Away’. An emotional alt rock anthem woven across three and a half minutes.
The song begins with Sam Coffey’s vocals and guitar that drip in yearning, like they were written on a back porch far past midnight as a desperate a cry into the infinite dark. Lyrically they speak of a want to return to the known comforts of home, regardless of the reasons that carried you the distance to somewhere far. A love letter to past mistakes and the attempt to lose yourself in fleeing from them, only to feel the pull to return.
‘Miles Away’ finds Forty Foot exploring a wider sonic template than on previously releases, slowing the tempo and allowing layers of guitars, effect pedals and synths to create a dreamy base for Sam’s emotionally heavy vocals. The longing of the song is punctuated in the production of the track, with a conscious decision to create space between the vocals and music, giving air and breath to the track. Mark Dillion’s guitar tones are awash in reverb and chorus adding to the hazy, dream like quality of the track, while Anthony Ross’s drums and Keith Ennis’s bass add the pulse and drive to the track keeping it grounded amongst the spacey-shoegaze elements of the track.
The band choose to record the track live in Dublin’s famed Camden Studios with Conor Brady at the helm. Echoing the feeling of connection and reconnection from the track, it was paramount to the feel of the track that the band we’re in the same room together; locked in, sweating it out and capturing the energy in the room. Maintaining the intimate nature of the lyrics and vocals, Sam recorded his vocal tracks at his home, allowing him to dig deep and deliver a performance that is honest and raw. The band turned to long time collaborator Conor McLoughlin (Sick Love) to mix the track.
The artwork was created by the bands own Anthony Ross, drawing on his day job talents as a tattoo artist to give a visual representation of the lyrics, here in body but not in mind. The video, directed by Tom McMahon features various images of the band’s hometown of Dublin. Helping cement the over arching theme of longing for home.
Forty Foots sound is rooted in 90’s alternative rock but with a contemporary approach to their melody, sound and production. This means ‘Miles Away’ feels instantly familiar yet fresh, immediate and vital. It’s the sound of a band delving into their auricular palette and showing us why they’re one of the most exciting bands coming out of the country at the minute.