REVIEW: Trust Fund Ozu's "FAYE DOUBT"

Last year, Faye Fadem released Tribute Summon, a record that made this blog’s top ten albums of the year and remains in rotation for me personally even now. I enjoyed that album for its chaotic nature and raw themes that Faye was always able to spin into a fun song. She wasted no time getting to work on the follow up, however, a single from this record had already dropped in the same year. Now, so soon, her next record is here.

At least it was. At the time of writing this Faye Doubt has been removed from streaming services and only available on BandCamp with its finale track missing and two statements by Faye herself and Needlejuice records implying the two of them have decided not to collaborate further with Faye releasing the album herself and gearing toward a KickStarter to do so. I fortunately was able to listen to the record enough to write down my thoughts before the record was pulled just three days after release, but I will be looking forward to it however Faye is able to put it out and await being able to support her in whatever that may be and I hope you do the same.

While Tribute Summon had a more cartoonish chaos to it Faye Doubt has a genuine darkness backing up all aspects of its songwriting. Songs like “ZAWA” for example sound like they’re playing from a nightclub in Hell and the recounting of its subject matter sounds equally bleak and distressing. I’ve also noticed some reused elements from the last one like the bass loop on “ZAWA” and the scream on “Sacrificial Vocaloid.”

On that last record the subject of vocal dysphoria was fairly prevalent and Faye has gone on record as saying that is the reason for the pitched-up pop star like voice that comes through on the records but here I see her facing that part of herself head on and singing without any editing on a lot of tracks. An aspect I’m truly grateful for as, on top of all the other aspects of her ability as a musician, she’s an incredible singer without it. The hook to “Cigarettes” and the vocal compositions on “Sacrificial Vocaloid” are just two examples of which come to mind. Not just vocally; Faye has improved as an instrumentalist and producer if that was at all possible. Songs like “Cigarettes” have such a compelling, multi-genre composition that the deeper into the song you are, the more twists and turns you’re taken through. “Sacrificial Vocaloid” has a hyperpop guitar solo, the record is fifty-three minutes long and never runs short on surprises.

There is a more prominent vulnerability on the entire record in fact and it makes me think maybe there was a deeper urgency to show that side of herself. Don’t get me wrong, there is still a lot of confidence here and Faye does not shy away from reminding you just how much she actually does believe in herself. The title track here is very self-aware of all of this as well and starts to break the fourth wall on the fact that maybe that’s more played up than it seems on the surface.

All these bitches wanna be me cause I look so good when I’m stepping on their skulls

The song that made me listen to Tribute Summon was the J.K. Rowling diss track and I think a lot of people were with me there. Not just in anticipation of the record dropping but also afterwards when Rowling finally heard it and it made the news in her home country. Capitalizing on this, the first single to this record was an apology track, “I’ve Changed My Ways!!” Here Faye calls out things we all know but something that Rowling’s followers consistently spiral themselves into and that’s protecting a woman who doesn’t care about them like she’s their own mother. She also mentions that nobody owes Rowling anything, which is true, especially of trans women and especially when she makes our lives more difficult for fun. All that aside, the song is just really good, really well executed hyperpop and metal song with creative lyricism. “J.K. I still hope that you fit in a hearse” is an incredible hook, not just for its callback to the original but also just for its catchy vocal melody.

The final song on the record, “Duvet,” had my jaw genuinely on the floor. This is a cover of the classic Boa song famously used as the opening to Serial Experiments Lain and something I appreciate as both a fan of the series and the old Boa record. It’s a really good cover too, captures the spirit of the original even in a digital space and turns the main riff and bridges into these interesting little breaks. After the cover Faye comes through with a remix of the original that is so nice here. My only complaint is that, while I do really love this as a closer, I just wish the final moment of the record was its own track. Keep the transition, keep that whole section, just the mash-up of the songs off the record could stand to serve as an outro track as opposed to an extension of this song.

Faye Doubt is an incredible record. Improves on every single aspect of Trust Fund Ozu as a project. Let's its listener deeper into the world of its creator and refuse to let go until the very second it's over. As I said above, please look out for the re-release of this record and its physical drop. You can listen to most of the album on BandCamp now and I hope this story has a positive resolution.

I loved this record

Favorite tracks:

1. ZAWA
2. CIGARETTES
3. SACRIFICIAL VOCALOID
4. FAYE DOUBT
5. DEADNAME
6. SHINIGAMI
7. YOU'LL NEVER SEE ME IN DEFENSE MODE
8. J.K. ROWLING APOLOGY TRACK (I'VE CHANGED MY WAYS!!)
9. BASEBALL BOY
10. KIMI
11. LET'S FUCKING GO!!!?
12. AMBIGUITY [feat. Nonlocal Forecast]
13. DUVET [Boa cover]

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