by Patrick Pilch (@pratprilch)
The first time I listened to “These Days” by Fonteyn I was like, “Hold the fort! What da heck??” I love Todd Rundgren. I love Carole King and Paul McCartney and The Carpenters but like, I love Todd Rundgren. “These Days” pulls that “Hello, It’s Me” piano and pushes it into a cloudless part of the sky circumnavigated by headier modern groups like Drugdealer, Jessica Pratt, and Weyes Blood.
But enough of the comparisons, the Salt Lake City by UK songwriter holds her own, and “These Days” is a sunny, 70s pop doozy. All these melodies hit easy - they take the turns they lean into. Fonteyn’s songwriting sensibility is on full display and her patience and nuance is palpable; the key change in the last twenty seconds is tasteful and the opposite of gimmicky. The part isn’t tacked on to fill space or ham it up, and it completely serves the song.
“These Days” is the second single from the incredibly titled Trip the Light Fantastic, Fonteyn’s debut full length due out on Born Losers Records on August 12. Be on the lookout for that and check out “These Days” below: