Words By: Brianna Vacca

Hailing from Orlando, Florida, alt-rock new comers Felicity have welcomed their newest assemblage of hand spun stories to the world. Dear Universe[via Adventure Cat Records] premieres as the band’s debut album that will not fall on deaf ears. Recorded over a span of 30 days with producer Andrew Wade [A Day To Remember, Neck Deep, Wage War], each song embodies an ambidextrous milieu spanning from pop-punk, to cutting-edge hardcore, to an unconventional alternative – all within the same song. From avant-garde to in vogue, Dear Universe has it all. 

Celestial soundscape “Carpe Diem” is the introductory bow to the collection. Coming in hot at a little over forty seconds, the instrumental aria opens extraordinarily. Adroit in nature, “Carpe Diem” shape shifts into dissimilar sonic landscapes as it finally comes to rest as a hardcore sound. The introductory track slides confidently into the album’s second slot, “Ignite.” 

“Ignite” — featuring Dan Marsala [Story of the Year, The Fuck Off And Dies] — harbors a tenacious electric body and biting percussion that heavily amplifies the bass. Akin to the album’s inauguration song, “Ignite” formulates contrasting levels of sound throughout. “Hit and Run,” perhaps the heaviest track on the project is brimmed with angst, fuses agile slayer riffs with a hint of Slipknot influences as they describe a near-fatal accident. 

One of the album’s previously released singles, “You Got This,” carries out the band’s unconventional alt-rock atmosphere. A staple out of an Imagine Dragons-esque anthology, the storytelling behind this song depicts the long-lasting battle with anxiety and self-doubt where the protagonist is attempting to overcome singing, “You got this, as long as you’re breathing, heart beating, and gorgeous.” 

Deeper into the album, “The Weather” characterizes Felicity’s tendency to weld contemporary pop with punk. Weather terminology substantiates the song’s lyricism exposing its emotional distress.

“C’est La Vie” concludes Dear Universe as it comes full circle with the record’s opener “Carpe Diem.” “C’est La Vie” blends all of the previously introduced musical elements and wraps everything up with a bow.

Composed of Andrew Rapier [guitar], Cory Nicholas [guitar], Damien Fagiolino [vocals], Mike Alosa [bass], and Tyler Dennett [drums], Felicity is the product of the Internet. With much respect to their meeting ground Craigslist, Rapier and Fagiolino rubbed eyeballs over their shared affinity for American-hardcore band Finch. The duo then took their talents beyond the chat room. For their fourth show ever together as a band, the quintet was invited to perform on the 2014 Van Warped Tour for its Orlando stop, and then later The Big Orlando Festival alongside Weezer and Fall Out Boy.

Guitarist Cory Nicholas spoke about the album, “We approached this record as songwriters for the first time. We want to be a band that can fit in everywhere and makes a variety of different songs that can resonate with all kinds of people.”

Dear Universe exceeds the number of expectations as Felicity continues to break down all barriers.

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