Bay Faction’s “Florida Guilt” [Review]

I don’t think I’ve fallen for a broken-up band as quickly as I have with Bay Faction. I only started listening to their music within the past two months because I only learned of their existence two months ago. I was in the process of looking for some physical copies of music by the band “Prince Daddy & The Hyena” when I found Bay Faction.

Releasing on December 11th, 2018, “Florida Guilt” debuted to positive reviews.

“Florida Guilt” is the second, and final album of indie band Bay Faction. A band you probably never heard of, but captured the hearts of many with their debut self-titled album “Bay Faction” commonly referred to as “S/T” by fans. While many of their songs have been removed from nearly all platforms, you can still find the band’s discography online in some corners of the internet. The band, made up of members James McDermott, Kris Roman, and Alex Agresti, decided to break up in 2020 as revealed in a post on Instagram on July 13th of that year. Despite their self-titled LP being no longer available for streaming, “Florida Guilt” is still up on streaming services and has been on rotation for me these past few weeks.

It’s very hard to describe what kind of genre “Florida Guilt” is. Sure it’s indie rock, but that’s such a broad genre of music. While “S/T” was popular with emo lovers, this album feels very different. This is immediately apparent in the first track of the album “Faux Snow Globe”. Lead singer McDermott sounds as if he’s slurring his words throughout the track, and something that we see happen a lot across the record. The song progresses at a snail's pace with very airy and muddy instrumentation heard in the guitar. It’s an incredibly haunting track and one that gives you an uneasy feeling, especially with the way that McDermott’s vocals get warped around.

“It’s Perfect” derails the train that “Faux Snow Globe” put you on. With a more typical indie rock feel the band tells the tale of a brief encounter of meeting someone at a CVS and ending up at their house only a short while later. McDermott explores sexuality in this song as he himself is bisexual. Only coming out through a local newspaper detailing the band’s success, the band’s previous songs only hinted at this. It’s a one-night stand with a man cheating on his wife with another man. The guitar and drum really pull their weight on this track, showing how this trio can produce some amazing songs.

Slowing things down a bit is “$1K”. This feels like a classic indie pop song. While it does start off slow, the chorus really takes it to another level. The song focuses on having money in a relationship and having to deal with the problems that come with it. The singer focuses on how whenever they end up going out with their partner, it’s always about money and never about them. While they crave intimacy, their partner is clearly only interested in money.

A trend that begins to emerge on this album is that none of the songs overstay their welcome for better or worse. All of the songs on the record are less than 3 minutes except for the closing track which clocks in at 3:09. “Donor” is one of the songs that I wish lasted a bit longer. The chorus on this one is infectious. As with the previous track, it maintains an indie pop feel, but a bit more laid back. The song also carries the same theme as it focuses on relationships, however in this case, it’s about their fleeting nature. Keeping things very casual if you aren’t in love with someone “wholly”.

The album’s title track “Florida Guilt” feels as if it’s straight off an Arctic Monkeys album in the best way. The main motivation behind this album as revealed in an interview with Rockamag is a rejection of the “American Dream”. The singer is on the ropes with their self-destructive tendencies. While they are craving a life of luxury, they have nothing of the sort. The desire for wealth and beauty is something that they just can’t have so they just fall into bad habits. As said before this feels like this song really belongs on Arctic Monkey’s “AM”. The solid bass guitar carrying the entire song with short interludes from other instruments just feels amazing. The chorus will get stuck in your head along with the outro. It’s one of the strongest songs on the record.

“Soppping” is a song about feeling nostalgic and having a yearning for youth. The bass guitar-heavy song has incredible instrumentation that’s hard to describe. With very laid-back guitars and drums that really go off during the chorus with some minor chords, the song is a story of the singer who has become more and more insecure as they’ve grown up. While they struggle to maintain lasting friendships and relationships, they crave their past and wish they could be as carefree as they were when they were a kid.

While all of the songs on this album are definitely unique, it’s hard to describe them in a way that is. Much of what made “Soppping” great is what makes “Ur My Bug” feel great instrumentally. What carries this song however is the repeated use of the line “Metal on metal”. There really isn’t much to say about this song other than the fact that those three words will get stuck in your head for days if you’re not careful.

“Cameras in the Home” is one of the best songs on the album hands down. The infectious vocals and amazing guitar work are some of the best on the record. The lyrics reflect the singer getting high and having a feeling of loneliness while maintaining the feeling of being watched. While they have a feeling of uneasiness, they’re preparing for a night out on the town, not caring where their phone is, and unsure if they’re still okay.

Closing out the album is “One Thrill”, a song about not being able to properly express yourself and as a result, having to turn to things like drugs and alcohol in order to feel something. The “One Thrill” in question is that cathartic release of emotion that can only be brought on by being intoxicated or under the influence of some drug. While this song carries the same vibes as the rest of the album, the heavy use of synths really set this song apart from the rest of the record.

Final Thoughts

While it’s the band’s final album “Florida Guilt” shows off what could’ve been an incredible and promising future for Bay Faction. I haven’t really heard any band quite like them and I’ll be amazed if I ever come across anyone who sounds close to what this album is. I hope to hear from these guys in the future and I’m looking forward to seeing what the members do next, even if it’s going in separate directions.

References:
Rockamag: Florida Guilt: A Rejection of the American Dream with Bay Faction

Album Score: 8/10

Favorite Track: “It’s Perfect”

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