By Mykhailo Vil’yamson
It’s not unprecedented for an artist to put out material that moves from heavy to significantly more sedated – take, for instance, Dallas Green’s mid-to-post-Alexisonfire solo project City and Colour (or alternatively, the conventional yet banal trend of most musicians to progressively mellow over the years). However, it’s refreshing to hear a move in the entirely opposite direction in what is the debut EP by Long Fall, which is the brand-new punk outfit that’s fronted by none other than Nic Dyson.
Released on August 2nd, the three-song collection – each two minutes or less – captures another side of Dyson that he’s been intending to explore more fully and completely for some time. The pensive soul that inhabits these newborn tracks is familiar (e.g. “That Song” from his 2014 album This One’s for You), but finds itself much more in the form of “A Song for Insomnia” or “It’s Not 2012 Anymore” (i.e. the stand-alone full-band inclusions on 2017’s Where We’re From). While lyrically introspective and modest like the rest of Dyson’s catalogue, the first single “Bored” has a spirited pop-punk bent to it (that acts as a good segue from old to new). Honestly expressing deep-seated, relatable sentiments of unease and uncertainty, it’s also lively and sing-along-able. And there’s “Life of the Party,” which is an upbeat, candid and sarcastic anthem of introversion. It’s got a little more edge and energy than “Bored,” and works well as the closer. My favourite of the triad though has to be “Inside Out,” as it really showcases the band’s dynamism. It has a markedly more alternative/grunge feel – which I love – and the interplay of each instrument and voice in this song is heart-resonant.
Long Fall is Nic Dyson (guitars & vocals), Monty Melynchuk (bass), Thomas Stevenson (additional vocals), and Jordan Voth (drums, recording, production & mastering); though when they play their first show in Fall 2024, rumor has it that one might see Parkview’s Brendan Kupiak in the drummer’s seat.