“Full Turn” by Facing New York

November 26th, 2007 | Tyler Hauser

Title: Full Turn
Artist: Facing New York
Album: Full Turn EP
Year: 2005

I first caught ear of Facing New York back in May or June of 2004, shortly after they released their first EP, Swimming Not Treading. It was the song “Claim/Subclaim” that initially got me hooked. It reminded me of The Mars Volta but had more coherence and stronger hooks. After buying and listening the crap out of Swimming Not Treading, I learned that they were playing Warped Tour that year.

I was so there.

Fast forward a couple months and we arrive at The Van’s Warped Tour at Race City Speedway in Calgary, AB. There was some sort of technical difficulty that ended in the band playing in the dirt over a portable PA system. I was standing some 5 feet away from the tightest, most energetic band I had ever seen up to that point.

These guys played their faces off, despite a huge turnout of about half a dozen people. By this time, Facing New York was about 7 months old; no one had ever heard of these guys. Yet, here they were, rocking the socks off of the 5 or 6 people nearby as if they were a crowd of thousands. I was beyond impressed.

Following their first EP with a split between themselves and Los Angeles band, Amity, Facing New York did nothing but continue to impress me. But it wasn’t until the release of a three-song EP entitled Full Turn that I vowed to have the children of each and every member of Facing New York. If you’ve ever seen Junior you know it’s possible.

The song, “Full Turn” made me realize just how good these guys really were. I’m a sucker for interesting rhythms and bass and this song most definitely delivers. But at the same time it still manages to maintain coherency and an undeniable listenability. Featuring fascinating harmonies and fun guitar work, “Full Turn” has instant appeal from the moment it’s first played and I insist it’ll last for quite some time.

Enjoy!