Félix Collin – “we were fire”
Photo by Malike Sidibe
From Quebec, Félix Collin makes his debut on the blog with the slow-burning “we were fire.”
“we were fire” is a masterclass in melodic, accessible songwriting. It is steeped in atmosphere and enveloped in a vivid, subdued mood. It is a song that sounds as though it belongs to another era… specifically 1997. For me, it is impossible not to draw comparisons to U2’s album Pop, specifically the song “Wake Up Dead Man,” which was one of the album's more restrained moments, largely free of electronic experimentation.
Like “Wake Up Dead Man,” this is an unusual anthem that doesn't reach for hope or uplift. “we were fire” is moody, as if standing on the edge of a storm. It is an aching hymn. The track is built around restrained guitar lines and measured percussion. It is a hymn stripped back to its essential rock 'n' roll bones. It is a canvas for haunting lament and a crisis of faith.
Félix Collin’s vocal has similarities to Bono. The performance is weary, spiritually claustrophobic, and brimming with genuine emotion in every line. You can hear the unease. You feel like you’re listening to the language of exhaustion, presented in a gorgeously soulful and heartfelt way. You can feel the longing, the heartbreak, and the yearning for a relationship that has lost its intensity.
Although the track has strong echoes of U2, it stands firmly on its own two feet. It has its own emotional identity… the feeling of whispering into the dark, or a song left playing on repeat when sleep refuses to come. “we were fire” is the second single to be taken from the forthcoming EP lowkey.
Connect with Félix Collin: Spotify | Bandcamp | Youtube | Instagram | TikTok
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