Flywheel Create A Sublime Post-Punk Landscape On New Single 'I Want To Join The Fall'

Artwork by Aoife Céitinn

By Kevin Malton, Editor

"If it's me and your granny on bongo's, it's The Fall" - Mark E. Smith

There was a time in music history when seemingly anyone in Mark E. Smith's periphery who could play an instrument could realistically end up as a member of The Fall, with sixty-six musicians playing in the band across forty-two years. Cork's Flywheel have released their single, 'I Want To Join The Fall', with more than a nod to this music lore, though with Flywheel carving out their own brilliantly distinct brand of post-punk, they have no practical reason to succumb to anyone else's vision. 

The track itself isn't a straightforward homage to The Fall; it is an exploration of The Fall's existence. The contradictions, flawed personalities and underlying tension of a troubled visionary are explored throughout however, and with that Flywheel have delivered an astonishingly tense single release. 

Opening with classic-rock sounding guitars, 'I Want To Join The Fall', soon evolves into something almost ethereal. The repetitive riff is hypnotic, laying beneath Ann Marie Ryan's shoeagaze vocal at just the right level. As the song progresses a second guitar melody is introduced that serves to crank up the tension. This is a multi-layered effort with each element mixed to perfection. Flywheel have managed to allow each separate instrument to compliment the other, resulting in something equally punchy and haunting. 

I have the song playing again right now, and while there is a modern overused trope in music journalism of "a song that rewards repeat listens", this genuinely is the case here. The evolution of the song is revealed from further exploration, how it flows seamlessly from a tense rhythm to a more melodic state. 

Credit: CC-0 license

Flywheel have been around for a bit now, first emerging in the early 90's, releasing a debut album, 'She', in 1996. Dubbed a "lost classic" by The Irish Examiner, the album had it's recognition and perhaps that helped spur the band to re-form after disbanding for a long while. 

Flywheel's recent string of releases (which will eventually make up a five-track EP) are based on the band's original sound, demonstrating that what is old is new. This music you didn't know you needed.

I Want To Join Flywheel.