1FM – Wish You Well

1FM – Wish You Well – EP Review

Is this just one of those extraordinary days in my life where losing isn’t an option no matter what genre I seem to find myself listening to?  Methinks so at this point…amazing music continues to pour in through the speakers at every second here today and I’m certainly not complaining!  After adventures into jazz and acoustic music earlier on – it was time for me to find something LOUD to listen to.

And as it turned out – there was a reliable name I recognized from reviews in the past with a brand-new EP – and here we are with 1FM’s new record, Wish You Well.  Now expanded to a full-on five-piece, these minstrels of music-mayhem sound like they are fully back and ready to let this monster loose for real right as the entire record begins with the unleashed performance and stellar writing of “Fire In The City.”  There are three-fifths of the band that contribute to the vocals of 1FM…it’s Tim that takes the lead on this one and many of the songs on this record I believe…dude sounds absolutely incredible and ten-feet-tall at the beginning of this new EP.  Those opening vocals had my jaw on the floor…seriously…that’s full-on art in music right there and no-holds-barred in that performance.  There’s excellent edge to the rasp in the vocals and the ensuing explosion of guitars before even a minute fully passes.  The drums and low-end take over from there as the guitars chop lines overtop and the vocals continue to remain solid before becoming absolutely stunning in the powerful rip through the chorus.  I’ll tell you what’s on fire – the dynamics in this song are on FIRE – 1FM is clearly ready to burn the entire city down to be heard on this new EP and “Fire In The City” starts this out monstrously-wild and massively entertaining.

As far as I know, the ultra-explosive title-track “Wish You Well” has been released as the official first single from this new EP.  Tough to decide for sure between what I’ve heard…”Wish You Well” is a seriously strong roaring rock track that represents the antics of 1FM with real impact…I think the hooks in “Fire In The City” might be a little more accessible…but there’s also no harm in putting out a second-single that’s guaranteed to hit home too right?    The transition from the opening intro to the explosion of sound that fuels the riotous “Wish You Well” is pure awesomeness – again, you can audibly HEAR just how much effort the band has put into keeping their sound as tight as it gets – and as a result, you get extremely powerful anthems like “Wish You Well” that represent them strongly through lyrics, music and performance combined.  Check out the video below!

I maintain that sometimes a band gets so mixed up in their material that an outside source is always the best idea when it comes to A&R/singles to be released.  What I like about everything I’ve heard on this record from 1FM is that they’ve clear turned on the afterburners and they’ve got these songs absolutely supercharged with bombastic & wild energy…but on “A Little Bit More” I felt immediately like I enjoyed this tune “A Little Bit More” than the lead-single as well!  I mean…don’t get me wrong 1FM-crew…this is a damn nice problem for you guys to be having…everything I’ve heard so far has the real grip & pull to the hooks needed to really captivate the attention-spans out there and light an inspirational fire under asses worldwide.  For me…even with as much as I loved “Fire In The City” – “A Little Bit More” gives it a complete run for its money as both a personal-favorite from this record as well as in terms of its accessibility for the people out there.  The hooks of “A Little Bit More” and the stunning performance the band puts into their music & vocals is truly noteworthy – this song absolutely killed it for me 100%.

Whether they’re charging forward into blazing rock or leaning more towards pop tendencies as they do on “Another Thing” – 1FM wins and wins and wins.  “Another Thing” is so intricately stuffed with passion and precision – and seriously gripping vocals that you make you want to stand up and fucking cheer out of sheer appreciation for just how RIGHT they get this.  And mind you – 1FM don’t create no bitch-parts for themselves either…don’t think they’re pulling punches even remotely; what they do takes an intense amount of skill and approach – the extreme demands of “Another Thing” are a formidable opponent but these guys just continue to crunch and kill it like their Godzilla up in Tokyo.  “Another Thing” was like what I like best about the All-American Rejects overall…only amped-up, adrenalized and times-ten.  It would appear that there is no limit for the size and scope of their ambitions on this record – and they’re pulling it all off with expert precision that’s seriously impressive.  The depth of professionalism that runs through the veins of this album will leave track-marks you’ll look down and remember…the sound cuts deep and the hooks sink right into your skin – “Another Thing” is a perfect example of hearing a band really hitting their moment in time with everything they’ve got.

I honestly do remember 1FM from reviewing them in the past…and I remember thinking good thoughts…but honestly – were they THIS good then?  These five songs are absolute monsters…the biggest of the big and all engineered, mixed & performed flawlessly – you truly can’t help but feel the power coming from this band right now…they sound incredibly unified and driven as a five-piece, even on what might be arguably a more-tender moment on the final track “Four Letter Word” – they still find charismatic ways to bring out their very best and absolutely electrify through their writing and focus on nailing their ideas 100%.  They should quite honestly, be insanely proud of this entire EP – definitely one of the best in the rock-genres of any-kind that I’ve heard this year.  “Four Letter Word” does a great job of showing us all one final dimension to the band’s writing, style and sound with real atmosphere added into this song and a truly inspired sound as a result.  Vocals, once again – right at the top of their game…probably one of my favorite parts about this band really.  They all deserve credit from performance to songwriting – but man…the vocals in this band absolutely hit the mark like their expert sharpshooters yelling words like bullets at the targets in front of them at the range.  The added emotional-punch of “Four Letter Word” sounds genuine…and genuinely impressive as a result.

I kinda feel like I don’t even know what to say.  The Wish You Well EP from 1FM shows that this band is as ready to go as it can possibly get in the independent-scene and that they’re certainly ready to take whatever giant next-step in their career that might come their way next.  I am blown away, I am impressed…I am without words that properly convey just how much love I’ve got for this EP.  I’m tougher on rock-anything when it comes to music reviews…but there’s not a single reason to pick apart this record or even a flaw I couldn’t find.  The kind of record that helps restore your faith in rock-music…I wouldn’t change a damn thing on Wish You Well – 1FM are large, in-charge and screaming their way towards a big-time career if you ask me.  This is what people really mean when they say their keeping it 100 – 1FM goes five-for-five here with a gripping EP I couldn’t get enough of.

Make sure to check 1FM out at their official pages:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/1fm1fm
Youtube: www.youtube.com/1fm1fm
Instagram: www.instagram.com/1fmband

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