Fire Frontier - TRansitions

Fire Frontier

Transitions
self-released; 2016

3.4 out of 5

By Santiago Garcia

Transitions, an eleven-track LP from the off and on duo known as Fire Frontier, features an abundance of synth-y sounds and exuberant beats by Louis Rua-Aguilar (aka Louis R.-A.) accompanied by Alex Acevedo on his guitar. Transitions is a combination of songs written over the last four years and, in a way, chronicles the development of the two young musicians. Louis R.-A. plays with MIDI instruments and drum programming while Acevedo picks and rocks a guitar. The two complement each other, and it shows in the tracks they play in together. 

About his new release, Louis R.-A. has said, “It can be considered a demo since I'm the only band member on this project; my guitarist Alex and I often have conflicting schedules which makes it hard for us to find time to record together.” Unfortunate for the duo, since some of the most well-composed tracks often feature both of them.

​The first time they make an appearance together on the album is in the third song titled “Dance Suckers.” The backbone of this track is the piano, layered with quick drums and cymbal hits until Rua-Aguilar works his way in with a touch of guitar. The way the track evolves makes for great listening and shows a lot of promise for two young, experimenting artists.

Now with this being a bit of a split marriage as far as when both artists are playing together, good things can also be said about Louis R.-A. when he goes it alone, especially in the eighth track titled “Snow Crystals.” He mixes a repertoire of synthesizers and electro beats. In “Is She Mine?” and “Love Is A Beautiful Thing” Louis R.-A. replaces a drum beat or electronic ticks with soft hand drums to accompany some soulful words. The kid says himself that he’s working on his production skills, but is already able to capture a feeling and pair it well with an array of instruments and sounds. 

Louis R.-A. closes out Transitions alone on “Glad You’ll Stay.” The piano-laden track also showcases his vocals more than any other. In his own fashion, he lays a whiny synth in towards the end of the song, reminding you that this album was anything but ordinary. Overall, a complex lineup of sound making devices and guitar make for a fun preliminary collection from what could be a long, fruitful career for these two young guns.

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