Fleeting Persuasion Archives

FLEETING PERSUASION

RELEASE NEW SINGLE

‘STILL DARK‘

FOR FANS OF: The Cure, My Bloody Valentine, New Order

Fleeting Persuasion release their second single for 2023, another stellar collaboration between the band’s James Harrison and musician Tobey Doctor.

Shared ideas, and mutual musical inspiration is the name of the game for Fleeting Persuasion’s James Harrison (guitar/vocals). Following a string of well-received singles through 2021/22, written and recorded with producer Josh Whitehead during the pandemic years, James then began flexing his creativity with ex-Sounds Like Sunset drummer Tobey Doctor (drums/bass).

The latter contributed drums, bass and studio chops to their 2022 single ‘Etched‘, a song that twitched and surged with chiming indie rock melodies and angular post-punk shapes, before they released ‘Slipped‘, which further explored their minimal and deeply emotive music.

“There’s a collection of songs I’ve been working on with Tobey,” says James. “He’s got quite the producer’s brain and so the drums, bass lines and production have been his vision. I haven’t needed much convincing as we both love similar sounds and textures!”

Through their prolific writing and recording sessions, ‘Still Dark‘ emerged as an outlier that sits apart from their forthcoming album yet it became an essential Fleeting Persuasion track that the pair felt needed to be released as a standalone single.

The single possesses both a sparkling, bright musical optimism and woozy melancholic guitar sounds that jar and unsettle beautifully, like that Midas touch of My Bloody Valentine when they sonically subverted guitar rock in the 80s.

“We were having an awfully miserable time of it in the studio,” James recalls. “So we decided to try and write the most absurd and upbeat song we could. We didn’t really get to a truly happy song, but then again look what happened to Icarus.“

Fans of New Order, MBV, The Cure and music that thrives on both melody and melancholy will find much to like about the latest release from the endlessly intriguing Fleeting Persuasion.

https://fleetingpersuasion.bandcamp.com/track/still-dark

‘Still Dark’ is out now on Bandcamp, streaming services and AMRAP for our community radio friends across Australia.

FLEETING PERSUASION

Fleeting Persuasion is the latest project of prolific Melbourne-based creative James Spencer Harrison who has also released several well-received albums, singles and EPs under the J M S Harrison moniker. The last of which, 2017’s Traced Out, was leading James towards a denser and richer full-band sound. That inspired a change of name and Fleeting Persuasion was born.

In 2019 Fleeting Persuasion released the album Forever Caught, capturing a set of songs that possessed echoes of The Cure, tightly woven post-rock and Australian acts such as Bluebottle Kiss filtered through his own brand of heart-on-sleeve melancholia. It was certainly indie rock but the kind that resides in the shadows, always carving out new angles and creating interesting dynamics. Now, in 2023, there are a further two Fleeting Persuasion albums in the works.

Splitting his time between Fleeting Persuasion and solo pursuits has established Harrison as a regular fixture on the live music scene, opening for renowned artists including Painters & Dockers, Steve Kilbey (The Church), Jamie Hutchings (Bluebottle Kiss), Peter Fenton (CROW), Hermitage Green (Ireland), The Clouds, China Crisis and She Wants Revenge,

PRESS

“There is very much an early The Cure sparseness and melodic thrust, with a refrigerated edge that sends shivers up the spine.”
Backseat Mafia on ‘Still Dark’

“…a moody post-punk number anchored by propulsive drums and a prominent bass line that utilises a chorus effect a la Peter Hook and Simon Gallup.”
Music Feeds video premiere for ‘Etched’

“‘Hollow’ is a track that gets under your skin. With dark synths, melancholic vocals and moody guitars, it’s reflective and moving… enchanting and riveting.”
the AU review

“Dripping with a melancholic nostalgia that is hard to capture, ‘Night Arrives’ is a captivating combination of brightly textured instrumentation, brooding melodies, and big 80s snare drum echo/delays, all woven neatly together with smooth-like-butter production.”

Forte on ‘Night Arrives’

“Fleeting Persuasion have put themselves on the top shelf with this release. A warm and thought provoking track.”
AAA Backstage on ‘Passed Through’

“It’s a compelling atmosphere that somehow exists within two seemingly opposing sonic spaces – with its sleek electronic touches blended against his usual shadowy guitar interplay and looming melodies.”
Trouble Juice on ‘Eternal’

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