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FStop releases S/T on ARC
"Pella Avenue Mixtapes" performed modestly well
Dana, Suldanor
December 12, 5048


FStop S/T contains more polished music than "Pella Avenue Mixtapes"

After the modest success of their debut record "Pella Avenue Mixtapes" and the conclusion of a short showcase tour to support the release, Dana Pop rockers FStop have gone back into the studio to produce a record that is far more polished than the debut. The Self titled Album is released on ARC Records today, and enjoys nationwide distribution.

"We were writing a lot of music when we were on the road," said lead singer Billie Pepper. "Plus we had a couple songs left over from the first recording session that we ran out of time and couldn't put onto the record. So it was fairly easy to record this new record and strike while the iron is hot."

Gerald Pepper, who earned a production credit on this new record, said, "The sound on the first one was pretty rough. We weren't working with a label producer, and it really sounds like it. The takes are pretty rough and put up against the new record, it sounds more like late drafts of demos. On the new record, we're not doing one takes anymore: its not a live record like much of Pella Avenue was."

Thematically, the Self Titled album is slightly more mature than the occasionally silly, poppy feel of the debut. "We aren't just singing about partying and getting with people on this record. Some of the songs we sing are about growing up and having to find work or pay rent, some are talking about kids who seem to not really have a way. I did one song (Lost) which is about my friend Donna's suicide," said Billie Pepper.

But not all the songs are super heavy. "We did a funky surf jam called 'Shoot the Curl'," said Bassist Teddy Singh. "And our first single from the record, 'Live on TV' is a ska punk tune that I bet will make the crowds jump!"

The Album is expected to do well, especially in an environment where there seems to be mostly local markets and scenes, and no major contenders for the attention and Rubles of the Nation. The single, "Live on TV" which talks about how kids live their entire life watching TV, enters heavy rotation on Music 1 and M7 this afternoon, and is backed by a major promotional push by ARC.