“So we met with all these major labels (but) it just didn’t seem like a good idea. You never know what’s going to happen either way, so we thought we may as well just keep it in our own hands because we spent a lot of time making the record. That way it still feels like it’s ours, I guess.”
Well, according to the taste and flavor of Fasciinatiion, the band made the right decision. Their most recent delivery offers upbeat and edgy tracks that boast a range of dance, pop, punk and new wave sensibilities, while exploring a lot of ground contextually. “Normally we would do an album within like six months and it would end up having an overall theme to everything, but on this record, the writing was drawn out over those three or four years. We were on tour for about a year and then there were three years where we were just writing the whole time. And there’s a lot that happens. And since we’re drawing from the span of that time, it ends up being more diverse.”
But what’s more impressive than the ground they covered on Fasciinatiion is the length of time The Faint has lasted—and the fact that the band members not only tolerate each other to this day, but still want to be together. Thiele says a key to their longevity has been their willingness to change and evolve and not just go through the same motions. “It’s kind of the reason we put this record out ourselves. We don’t want to repeat ourselves—ever—or make a song that sounds like a song we’ve already done in any way. It’s kind of evident if you look at the tempos of all of our songs. I don’t think that any two are the same,” he says. “I joined the band after the first album and I’m not proud of every song necessarily but I’m proud of the albums overall, and the shows we’ve put on, and that people have communicated to us that they’ve been inspired by what we’ve done. That’s the ultimate achievement in my mind—it makes me feel very fulfilled to think that we may have inspired someone else.”
While dance groups are blowing up at the moment not just in the States but across the world, this hasn’t changed The Faint’s approach to their tunes. Thiele is remarkably grounded and down-to-earth as he discusses the band’s humble beginnings and how grateful he still feels for the all of the success that has come their way. “We originally started paying electronic instruments because they were unpopular and cheap and they were sounding different to what everybody else was doing,” he recalls. “We started out just trying to play music, and play for people and have shows that were fun, and it ended up catching on to the point where we found ourselves touring and making a living of it. I never would have anticipated that in the first place, so I just feel lucky to be where we are.”
At Webster Hall, The Faint will share the spotlight with the UK electro pop group Ladytron. Both acts are set to put on wild shows which are guaranteed to turn into massive dance parties. “There’s going to be a lot of lights and videos and flashing imagery happening onstage overall,” he says. “It’s fun when crowds do (go nuts) and it’s one of our goals—because when people don’t get really excited, we feel like maybe we haven’t done our job.”
Catch The Faint at Webster Hall in NYC on April 10 and 11 and at the Trocadero in Philly on April 13. For more info, visit thefaint.com
