The Fading Light was formed in Pittsburgh in 2009 by guitarist/vocalist Josh Doran after purchasing an acoustic guitar so he could get a new perspective.
I’m almost never a fan of abandoning electric guitar for acoustic. In this instance, however, Josh made an excellent choice and I can find little reason to disagree.
The Fading Light’s newest single, “On My Own” dropped on April 25, 2020. Starting with a synchronized bass/vocal groove, the intro very nicely leads into a lush, funky soundscape that is sure to get your toes tapping and head bopping.
For only using two guitars, a bass and drums, the sound these four create is incredibly full, which is a testament to their musicianship. Funk requires and incredibly tight-knit group to pull off its complex rhythms and The Fading Light does not disappoint.
Leaving the funky, grooving verse, the band opens up into the chorus. And the chorus opens up in every conceivable way. The dense instrumentation of the verse steps back and lays down an arpeggiated pillow upon which Josh can stretch out his vocals. Even the vocals open up – gone are the tightly-packed lyrics grooving along with the backdrop of the verse, and in are the chorus lyrics, a bit more sparse, notes held a little longer and in generally, breathing a sigh of relief from the more hectic chorus.
The guitar solo coming in after the second chorus is every bit as satisfying as the rest of the song. Coming in over another refrain of the chorus, the playing is extremely tasteful, and for those of you who are fans of the Hair Metal days of yore, there is a broken scale run in the middle of the solo sure to bring back all the right memories.
The Fading Light consists of Josh Doran (vocals/acoustic guitar), Benjamin Hull (bass guitar/vocals), Dylan Bowman (electric guitar) and Matt Kastner (drums), and can be found on Spotify, Facebook and their website.