fringe - equilibrium

Fringe 

Equilibrium
self-released; 2013

3.5 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

Fringe is a collaborative effort between Mark Lassiter and Wes Mauldin. Located in North Carolina the two-piece has worked fast for only being together for a little over a year. They recently released their first effort entitled Equilibrium which provides a variety of influences but that could best be described as being indie rock. The songs on this album are hit or miss as is the production. 

“Concrete” opens up the album and is a solid rock number. The song is moderately catchy but also is a bit predictable. Soft verse and loud chorus permeates the structure for its duration. “Criminal Chemical” is a slower number that starts off solid but once the distortion hits the song becomes chaotic. The multiple vocal lines over the distortion are hard to make out. 

“Hard As Nails” is plagued by a sub par vocal performance while “Corona Radiata” is one of the highlights of the album. The song is a bit slower and chill than most of the others on the album but has the best vocal performance, an impressive guitar riff and well-placed saxophone. “Falling” is another steady solid song. It is an instrumental and doesn’t change up much besides the lead guitar. The album closes with “Brave New Day” which is a good instrumental closer. The saxophone, guitar, drums and bass work well together. The high point of the song is the end where the band locks on a groove and they hit their stride.

This is a solid effort for a new band but it is pretty rough around the edges. Despite the rough patches this effort starts the shine towards its second half and you can see the band starting to come into their own. 

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