Ida No of the erstwhile disco duo Glass Candy and Nat Walker of the former Chromatics have a new project called Fawn, and today they’ve released their transcendent first single, “Graffiti in the Hall.” The dream-pop/shoegazey bliss track sounds nothing like either of those former Italians Do It Better flagships, but this is emphatically not a problem. It’s great.
The prismatic allure of the variously clean and fuzzy guitars, the minimalist but commanding back beat, the pink and blue synth pads, and No’s inimitable vocals come together to create a sugar-sweet (but never saccharine) blast of 1990s-nodding serenity, delicately stacked with utterly catchy melodies. I hesitate to cite “listen if you like” comparisons to acts, so you’ll just have to check it out below (and on Spotify and elsewhere).
The sound is a refreshing distance from Glass Candy, one of my favorite bands and one that slowly dissolved into the ether without a proper followup album to 2007’s B/E/A/T/B/O/X (though many beautiful songs came after that). “Graffiti in the Hall” is so good that you’ll forget about Body Work, Glass Candy’s lost album. Similarly, it’s a hopeful direction for Walker, who featured in three IDIB acts (Chromatics, Symmetry, and Desire). Essentially, there’s no sense in them trying to relive the past when there’s so much of this sonic bliss to mine for the future. (One senses Fawn will end up benefiting from all the creative energy they’ve been accruing in the face of years of little or no proper outlet.)
While we’re at it, check out the hypnotic video for the song.
I haven’t seen any details about an album release, but I would be shocked if there wasn’t one afoot. I’ll update this review when I do find out.
Anyway; Ida, we’ve missed you.
