Chord Fiction are an indie pop band with a folk influence, founded by singer-songwriter and musician David Salazar, who is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. They released an EP back in July titled Adrift, which I was lucky enough to discover by chance recently!
By Jane Howkins
What To Do opens things up nicely, having a lovely, upbeat sound from the very start. The guitars are mostly acoustic, but there are some little electric guitar motifs every so often, adding a nice change of pace. The vocals work really well with the indie folk genre, and the whistling in the background of the track makes it stand out immensely.
Nowhere To Go is a demo track, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth your time, as it sounds really good for a demo! The bass is quite prominent here, which is quite unique for a track of this genre, playing well with the acoustic guitars and piano. David’s vocals are a little lower on this track, showing another side to him.
Mighty The Fool opens with a cool, bluesy guitar lick, running through the piece in a groovy style. David’s vocals are extremely soulful here, having an essence of cool about them. This is another upbeat track, with tambourines and maracas joining in with the drum kit, as the acoustic guitar strumming also adds to the rhythm. The chorus features a dreamy vocal melody that has to be heard to be believed.
Life Is Just A Sea is another demo song, but it’s rather different to the other tracks on Adrift, as it sounds more like a traditional folk song. It’s a lot slower than the other songs, having an aura of melancholy about it, due to the haunting chord sequence used. What sounds like a double bass is used occasionally, adding something different, alongside the female vocals that appear later on. The rhythm changes into more of a ska-style track on the chorus, making this my favourite song of the lot.
Kiss The Ground starts out with just the acoustic guitar, tricking you into thinking this is going to be another ballad, but it soon picks up the pace. David’s vocals have a real sense of urgency to them as the tension is ramped up – the strings also make a reappearance here. It’s a haunting song at times.
Adrift is a fantastic EP, showing the full breadth of the indie folk genre within one musical project. It’s also amazing how good the music sounds considering that there are demos here – I can’t wait to hear what Chord Fiction sound like once they’ve amped the production up a little!
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