We’re running out of time again…
We call it the day of reckoning: That supposed time after death when one is called to account for one’s actions. It’s a tradition – or rather, a myth – that spans as far back as Mesopotamia; apparently, humans throughout the centuries have acknowledged their own species’ inability to communicate openly and honestly with one another. Deceit stretches all the way back to the first civilization, and it persists to this day – but why wait until death to make our peers face their truths? We must be held accountable each and every day. FAIRCHILD’s new song “Neighbourhoods Pt.2” is a chilling exposure of the lies we tell ourselves to cover up our truths.
Hear me I spoke
Under sheets of red
Oh you lost to me this way
lost me so I lie and wait
You found you found,
A simple lie
Oh that stretched between the tokens
of this time you spend at night
“Neighbourhoods Pt.2” – FAIRCHILD ft. RUNAH
[youtube=https://youtu.be/5qN1Sc4P4CI?t=0s]Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Neighbourhoods Pt.2,” the latest single from indie rockers FAIRCHILD and featuring Manchester-based singer/songwriter RUNAH. The Australian sextet’s first release of 2017 is also FAIRCHILD’s first offering since leaving Manchester, England, where the group spent the past two years establishing themselves as a musical force throughout the UK, mainland Europe, and the Americas. FAIRCHILD’s mix of synths and guitar create a distinctive 2010s new wave/rock sound that defined their 2016 releases – including “Relevance,” which made a notable dent on the US Spotify Viral 50 chart.
We sway undisguised listening to
the simple side of lonely lies
Gently someone screams “bless their soul”
you say to me as I smile
Running out of time again
FAIRCHILD’s warm dance vibes reach new heights on their latest single, enveloping listeners in pulsing rhythms and a powerful melancholy. Poignant and profoundly dark, “Neighbourhoods Pt.2” holds a mirror up to the world without specifying the lie that took place. What could have happened – did someone cheat? Was it sexual assault?
Down the rabbit hole we go, watching RUNAH walk through Manchester’s wet streets. Her attention is closed off to the world: Though her eyes may survey her surroundings, she has Apple earbuds in her ears, her hands are in her pockets, and her head is faced down. She is in her own space – a space most of us know fairly well. What happened to her? We can only guess; the answer is not as important as the aftermath. We feel the results of betrayal as she forces a smile.
Slowly night fades
As we watch the day
Oh return to the road,
to the road from where you’ve come
I watch the sun
Rise in your eyes
Oh you realise you crossed that line,
you hold so dear so our divide
FAIRCHILD completely engross us in a story. We don’t know the specifics, but we don’t need to know them, because we’ve (unfortunately) all been there before: We have all lied to protect ourselves, and we have all hurt another in the process. Adam Lyons notes that “Neighbourhoods Pt.2” “started out as a remix for [our previous song] ‘Neighbourhoods.’ Somewhere along the way, it became an entirely new song in its own right,” he reflects. “We didn’t want to be bound by genre, style or even gender so we let our friend RUNAH sing it. She immediately felt like a character in the story and I knew we’d made the right decision. Where ‘Neighbourhoods’ was a warning about being careful who you fall for, ‘Neighbourhoods Pt.2’ flips the perspective and says, ‘there are two sides to every story. And your side is wrong.’”
In light of the recent tragic events at Manchester Arena, FAIRCHILD are donating all proceeds for “Neighbourhoods Pt.2” to the British Red Cross and will be using the hashtag #OurNeighbourhood to promote. “Neighbourhoods Pt.2” was written and recorded in a Manchester bedroom, and its dark, vibing aura certainly shows the Manchester scene’s influence on FAIRCHILD. Starring RUNAH, the band’s music video offers an intimate walk through their second home.
FAIRCHILD bassist and music video director, Thomas Davies states, “Manchester was our home for two years. We showed up there with nothing and the city took us in. We wanted this music video to offer an intimate view of Manchester, from our eyes. Instead of aerial or interior shots, ‘Neighbourhoods Pt.2’ puts you right there in the middle of the city and lets you experience it for yourself.”
Our Manchester experience ends with the beginning of a confrontation. RUNAH’s walk abruptly halts as she comes face to face with Ndagi Urwill, who stares unflinchingly at her with stone-cold eyes. This entire time, we’ve been led to believe that RUNAH was the victim – perhaps through some socially-constructed stereotype, perhaps because she’s been our only focal point throughout the video – but maybe she’s the one running from a lie, after all. Perhaps he is the victim of her actions. This sudden, provocative plot twist reminds us not only that looks can be deceiving, but also that we are all capable of deceipt and lies – of hurting others. No one of us is any better than the rest.
We sway undisguised
underneath revealing lights
Try to hide
You tell yourself chaotic lies,
spend your time on darker sides
Bless your mind
Reality is ‘scary’ because we so often deny it to ourselves. Each of us wants to believe, deep down, that we are inherently good. Generally speaking, most people are good, but we all falter sometimes. We hurt others, knowingly or unknowingly, and we lie to ourselves in order to justify the continued self-perception that we are, in fact, still good.
If “Neighbourhoods Pt.2” seems scary, that is only because each of us has self-made demons that we would rather run from, than confess to. FAIRCHILD are simply reminding us of our own faults – imploring us to face ourselves now, rather than wait for that mythical day of reckoning. There’s no hiding from the truth, especially when others are involved. Connect with FAIRCHILD below. Help support the band and the city of Manchester by sharing this with your friends and family.
— — — —
Connect to FAIRCHILD on
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Discover new music on Atwood Magazine
cover © FAIRCHILD 2017
