Fission (Bonus Track Version)

iTunes Review

When Film School’s record label Beggar’s Banquet became a catalog-only underling of parent company The Beggars Group, the band might have thrown in the towel as many do. Instead, they powered on, and released their fourth full-length, Fission. Founder and central member Greg Bartens has assembled a band capable of veering ably from a viably commercial alt-sound (“Waited,” “Sunny Day,” “Bones”) to the darker tones they’re known for (the spookily pretty “Time to Listen,” the industrial-rooted “Direct”), all the while spicing the mix with plenty of other flavors. On tracks like “Nothing’s Mine” and “Find You Out,” bassist Lorelei Plotczyk’s breathy vocals riding the layers of atmospheric guitars put the tunes squarely in the house of classic shoegazing and ‘90s 4AD bands, yet gurgling synths and clanging guitars on songs like “Still Might,” “When I’m Yours,” and “Distant Life” lend Fission some muscle. This collection sparkles with a new energy, wise production choices, and Bartens’ excellent songwriting, and should appeal to an ever-widening audience.