Impressing in its charismatic rock sound, Ways I Used To Feel is the newly released debut album from Nashville-based artist Marshall Fassino. Multiple album singles caught our ears throughout the year, notably “Promised Land” and “What We’re Sold.” The rest of the release certainly lives up to the lofty standards set by those, continuing a rock sound that straddles suaveness and hooky immediacy with sophisticated cohesion. The release is produced, mixed, performed, and mixed nearly entirely by Fassino, representing an intimately gripping sound.
“What a drag to be stuck inside my head,” the opening track declares amidst resonating guitar twangs, playing as an apt introduction to Fassino’s enjoyable audio world — which is anything but “a drag.” The ensuing “Left For Dead” touts a mellower, tight pop-rock appeal to start, rousing into a warming dose of guitar distortion and power-pop vocal inflections around the one-minute mark — “don’t you think it’s funny?”
The opening one-two punch, and the assortment of other quality singles throughout the years, make for an exciting entry point for the album. Another standout comes in the form of “Smart To Me.” A thick bass line with shades of post-punk are joined by shimmering guitar riffs and a confident vocal stride, gearing into a delectably hooky “story always goes,” hook. Fassino shows enthralling songwriting and a solid rock production throughout Ways I Used To Feel, a surefire standout debut album.
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“Smart To Me” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of December 2023’ Spotify playlist.
The track is also featured in the genre-based, best-of Spotify compilation Emerging Indie Rock.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup, as part of the artist’s promotional campaign.
