‘HalfNoise’ is the solo project of Zac Farro of ‘Paramore’ fame. Over the last few years the venture has been gathering pace and ‘All That Is Love’ is a single from the forthcoming ‘Flowers EP‘. It is a song that manages to conjure up the heady feel of clubland rhythm, tempered with a tinge of psych-rock in the vein of newer ‘Tame Impala’. This is especially true of the vocal line which deploys a revelatory and wistful tone, contrasting effectively with the uplifting nature of the accompanying track.
Things open up with a spoken vocal sample in French, replete with some echoic effects. I’m unsure of the provenance of the sample but it generates the feel of a clip from Une Homme et un Femme dropped over a pulsing funk-tinged backing. This is a dynamic that works well and as the song progresses, there is a hint of Disco in the insistent beat. However, there are also some interesting variations at work as cymbals are accentuated and counter rhythms focused on the offbeat are set against each other. The prominent bass line also contributes to this overall tone. In fact, it is the groove of this track that is it’s most captivating element. This coupled with the main guitar part generates a feel akin to the lively yet spaced out sound of The Happy Mondays.
The songs subject matter is a look at the darker side of love and it’s associated feelings of disappointment. “What if I can’t make it, you know that I can’t fake it.” There is a sense that the heartbreak being examined is deliberately counterpoised with an altogether more upbeat sound. The blending of the two indicative of the cathartic potential of dancing the night away when feelings of lassitude are encroaching.
The song blends the sample of people revelling into the beat for the outro well. A touch that perhaps accentuates the feel of attempting to lose oneself in a busy surrounding, yet simultaneously highlighting the sense of being alone suggested in the lyrics. Zac Farro has succeeded in turning what could be a morose number into one that has the potential to be a floor-filler. The artful blend of sounds at work here suggests that there should be a good range of approaches on the EP, which is released on the fourth of May on Congrats records.