Premiere: Facial, ‘Don’t Take the Fremont Bridge’
Kevin Bronson on
1
Facial formed in 2015 from the shards of other L.A. bands, the trio of Cameron Dmytryk, Sam Daggett and Jay Francis needing an outlet for their confrontational and often dark-hearted feelings. Noisy and profane, they cast themselves as kind of an anti-band, launching punk, thrash and metal missiles at whatever pretense their indie-rock brethren held dear.
In 2016, they released their debut album “Mistress” and followed the next year with “Facade,” and live the songs became even more explosive as the threesome switched off instruments and screaming duties.
Not that Facial has mellowed, but the two songs they’ve released this year find the band honing in on a simmering, menacing post-punk sound. Their new single “Don’t Take the Fremont Bridge” is ripe with anguish and subtext, its circular bass line and raw guitar setting the stage for Dmytryk’s nearly screamed torment. It is a wound exposed.
“I’ve been having a hard time deciding how much I want to say about the song,” Dmytryk says. “I will say the song mourns a close friend’s recent death and thematically the song is about looking out for one another.”
The song is the latest from a mini-LP titled “Help,” coming out Oct. 4 via Chain Letter Collective.
||| Stream: “Don’t Take the Fremont Bridge”
||| Also: Stream “Color Me Translucent”
||| Live: Facial plays Aug. 30 at the Factory in downtown L.A., along with Daisy and Neza Alexander.
||| Previously: “Black Noise”
Well wrote as usual Kevin. You are a legend. We were in Southern California when we heard about Ben. All of Vanaprasta & Rainbow Jackson, & others we’re there to say goodbye. Cameron has a special connection with Ben, as did all of Vanaprasta. Hope the tributes help the pain. May the peace of our God be with all that connected with the heart of Benjamin Ross Smiley😎