Fleeting Paris could take an unconventional method to songwriting, however even with the sonic rulebook ripped up and its ashes scattered, Film Star High quality doesn’t sacrifice accessibility or affectability. The sticky-sweet vocals, unfeigned of their emotion, drift by the sting of unflinching staccato guitar rhythms, revealing a mastery of tension-building. There’s little rhythmic launch within the observe, and that’s precisely the place its ingenuity lies—it subverts expectation, bypassing the cliché of a hovering refrain to remain true to actuality, the place we look forward to breaks that by no means come.
Lyrically, the observe dissects the Hollywood-glamorised human expertise, exposing the diminishment of those that don’t don the façade, at the same time as we acknowledge that our idols have lengthy shed their autonomy. This lyrical meditation turns into much more immersive by Fleeting Paris’ Paul Simon-esque vocal traces, which know precisely tips on how to lock emotion into melody.
The rejection of standard track construction solely strengthens the observe’s impression. As a substitute of providing the moment gratification of predictability, Film Star High quality forces listeners to take a seat within the discomfort of unresolved stress. It’s a soundtrack to disillusionment, however one which by no means alienates—as a result of beneath the abstraction, there’s a uncooked sincerity that makes each observe resonate.
Film Star High quality is out there now on all main streaming platforms, together with Spotify.
Assessment by Amelia Vandergast