
Review: Flèche – 'Do Not Return Fire'
What would be the perfect way to soundtrack a relaxing drive down the expressway with the sun in your face and the wind in your hair?
By Russell Miller
Published Friday, 03 May 2019 11:59
If you said FLÈCHE, you would most definitely be right! These gentlemen are set to release their second full-length album, ‘Do Not Return Fire’ and we got our hands on a copy early.
The French indie rock quartet looks to emphasise the rougher aspects of their sound which contrasts their flashier and more atmospheric releases in the past. A six-month break between recording sessions presenting a cohesive collection of music as intense as these guys intended was a daunting task but they have something going on here.
From start to finish, you know exactly where FLÈCHE is going and you’re there more or less fifty seconds into pretty much every track (‘Invincible’ actually wastes zero time getting to the point). Don’t let that dissuade you from taking the journey, however; the album convincingly avoids being one-note and exhausting by providing varied paces and soundscapes to shake it up.
For instance, ‘Wait, Sit, Listen', and ‘Not a Single Thing’ introduce themselves with humble emotive lyrics over clean guitars that set the stage for the listener to be swept away by the contrast in density as the chorus blasts its way in. By contrast, the album opener ‘Gold and Black’ and ‘Pretend/Forget’ spend time in a bounce you would find in the catchiest 80s rock, then crash headfirst into that familiar flying chorus packed to the gills with distorted guitars and layered vocals a combination that doesn’t happen enough in the album to be frank.
FLÈCHE released four singles in the lead up to the release of ‘Do Not Return Fire’. Each of those singles features one thing in common and that is the bombastic high-flying chorus section that will more than likely have you shouting along at the top of your lungs.