It’s becoming harder and harder to stand out from the crowd when you are a high-pitched, gospel-leaning male folk singer. That was my first thought listening to Fins Ara‘s new song ‘Alone’ and the second out of the three parts of his upcoming first EP, ‘A Love, Elusive’.
‘Alone’ concentrates the gravitas (and glitches) of Bon Iver, the intimate piano of James Vincent McMorrow, the softness of Sufjan Stevens, in such a way that it is difficult to isolate who exactly is the artist behind it. Of course, there is the creaking chair in the background, the weird noises played in reverse like in ‘Revolver, a lyrical taste for oxymoron (« You want to pull me closer / Further from you » or « I want to tell my quiet / Deafening you ») ; but it is hardly enough to understand Fins Ara’s idiosyncrasy.
Yet, there is still the song, which manages to express how helpless we become when a relationship has already begun to deteriorate, and the more we try, the worse it gets. The music perfectly matches the title and the white noise does accurately convey the sensation of loneliness that the title promises. Finally, it is a fine and touching work that Fins Ara delivers, once you get past the similarities with Justin Vernon and others.
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