Review Summary: Not quite pop tarts.
With one of the more unsearchable band names in recent memory, Fantasy League have arrived with their debut album. The loud, upfront synths smack of 80s pop, but there’s plenty of reasons why Fantasy League sound less like New Kids On The Block and Madonna, and more like an average synth pop band. There’s enough bright synths and catchy choruses to get you invested but that high after listening exits quickly.
There’s hints at a more unique band here, with brush strokes of psychedelic electronics, but it’s barely mentionable; the song
This Light is a black sheep, one of the only truly surprising pieces. Fantasy League are like a louder, less relaxing Small Black that want to sound like Washed Out, but don’t have the nuance.
While the choruses are quite catchy, I struggle to remember the vocals. These kind of potential pop bangers need glitz from the singer front, but there is little. The vocals are incredibly one-tone, sounding like Imagine Dragons drained of personality. His range is also quite predictable, and it gets old fast. The singing is average to say the least, making the album much less appealing overall, and even difficult to get through.
In the end, Fantasy League’s debut is more generic than expected based on the art, and the songs don’t have much staying power. There’s some bangers here and there but the band don’t keep the pace up. The first couple songs are good and then the album drags. There’s some goodies here though that make the plunge worth it. Fantasy League know how to work with their clunky singer well enough to produce some hard hitting pop tunes. Literally hard hitting, brash at times, but that’s when they are their best. This album may not be for everyone, but it’s a decent debut.
