House Hunting - Fata Morgana

House Hunting

Fata Morgana
self-released; 2016

3.7 out of 5

By Dom Eagle
​

House Hunting is a three-piece alternative rock outfit comprised of Fox Rhett (vocals), Nick Advincula (guitar/bass) and Steph Morian (guitar/bass). This was an important project for the three friends, because it signified the coming together of their incredible talents before they departed to take part in their solo journeys to Oregon, Berkeley and a free destination road trip. They were revisiting old songs of their youth, but under the guise of a new name, and, remarkably, it sounds as if they haven’t spent a day apart. A few months of intense, but scattered writing sessions, they rapidly churned out in November the seven songs which make up Fata Morgana. In another world, I can only imagine they’d be ruling the world, if they can make this level of music in such a limited amount of time. They share an intimate connection, and this shows through the music that is avant-garde.

​Fata Morgana is a seven-track EP which opens with “Forgotten.” This epic, lengthy opener is a melancholic, acoustic-driven track pumped full of heart-wrenching lyrics. Rhett’s vocals are often sorrowful. They screech and tear above the flowing, dancing bass rhythm, strumming acoustic chords and spatters of restrained electric guitar. The ever-evolving electric guitar is fascinating, but the highlight of the song is, by far, Rhett’s vocals.

“Bail Me Out” adopts a more electrifying, grunge-fueled approach. Slowly chugging electric guitar, an ascending bass rhythm and Rhett’s dynamic vocals all make for the melodies dancing beneath her voice to really shine through. The bass pumps onwards gently, and the electric guitar, while brutal, vicious and relentless, does not overpower the track. It adds murky, darkened depths to the track, but it does not shroud any of the other elements of the song.

The stripped back “Elegy” is short, but sweet. An acoustic melody plays out beneath Rhett’s long, drawn-out vocals, which emerge in a whisper. Short bursts of reverberating, distorted guitar warble out in the backdrop of the piece, setting the tone for a simplistic track. However, complexity and simplicity both work equally as well for House Hunting.

The singing is good in its own right, but that doesn’t stop Advincula and Morian from truly flourishing on each track through complex sonic ear-candy. Psychedelic rhythms are grounded by Rhett’s voice. I’m not really sure how better to summarize this EP, so I suppose you’ll just have to listen for yourself to see what I truly mean.

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