‘Only Fans’ – Giack Bazz: Sex-Sells, But Who’s Buying?
Giack Bazz’s ‘Only Fans’ is interesting. More for its narrative content and heady aspiration’s, derived from a somewhat detailed, instructive and informative press kit; ‘how distant from the adult content industry is making music nowadays?’ It’s an interesting concept, but one I’m at odds with, so will stick to reviewing the song. I’m not a lover of press kits. I’ve had this discussion on many occasions. They often oversell an artist, and the product fails to deliver. Others reek of AI. I get it. I understand it’s an easy ‘get-out,’ and it’s difficult to sell yourself, especially when the industry is broken. Streaming has killed any sense of optimism for an artist and ensured that the only ones that profit are those at the very top of the tree.
Giack Bazz raises some interesting ideas within this PK for ‘Only Fans’; drawing parallels between the music industry and the adult ‘entertainment’ industry. To be succinct and fatalistic, you get fucked either way. But isn’t it a choice?
So, to the song; which actually isn’t half bad. Musically, it’s an interesting mix of indie-rock with elements of folk. The song starts with clean plucked chords and a lovely soothing flute which adds a sense of whimsy. Giack’s vocals show good melodic contour with good use of rising-fall, flat-rising devices. This gives a clear sense of progression and engagement, drawing the listener in. It’s a very ethereal start and very listenable.
The complimenting muted guitar cuts through the warm plucked chords and offers an interesting counterpoint that maintains your attention throughout the verse section. The addition of drums and mildly distorted guitars over the verse show good dynamic shifts and give the chorus sections the required impact. Giack’s phrasing over this section is very reminiscent to that of Florence Welch, at least to my ears. It’s a solid, if not spectacular chorus, but works in offering a clear narrative progression, “Only morning fans, who keep as far as they can, watching disinterested the stage with a drink in their hand,” paints a disconnected and desperate picture, but this loose metaphor does sit well with his overall concept.
The song follows a simple ternary format and is heavily reliant upon the dynamic shifts to create textures and maintain interest. This is ironically both its strength and point of weakness; and at nearly 4 and a half minutes that format does become laboured. A short lead break is muddied with too many overdubs making some of the more interesting lead guitar phrases inaudible; buried under organ, additional guitar and flute. Which is sad, as this had the potential to provide the necessary lift to take the piece into its final chorus graciously, rather than stumbling.
The production is generally good, though vocal disparities do jar, particularly over the final chorus. The verses show great balance; I absolutely loved their clarity and the variation between guitar tracks.
Overall, ‘Only Fans,’ is a fairly well produced and written song, with catchy hooks and good melodic variations, which conceptually and thematically has ideas greater than the sum of its parts. I wish Giack well with its release and the subsequent ‘guerrilla marketing’ campaign, it’s a difficult industry to crack and I hope those questions and conversations he hoped this release would stimulate prove enlightening.
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