They’re back and ready to party — local indie rock band The Forum will be hosting their first double-single release in Gainesville this Friday.
The show at High Dive, which is the band’s first hometown release party since 2017, will recognize the release of The Forum’s two new singles “When Did Everything Fade?” and “Wounds.” The songs are anxiously awaited by fans who have been hearing them playing live for up to a year and a half.
Lead vocalist Michael Higgins said the decision to finally record the two tracks and release them simultaneously was a way for the band to try something new.
“We wanted to release something in a manner that we hadn't done before,” he said. “Every time that we would announce another single, it was kind of like, ‘OK, well how is that different than last time?’ So, we kind of wanted to look at what we could do differently.”
The track “When Did Everything Fade?” started with lead guitarist Nick Wheeler who said the song began as an idea he introduced to the rest of the band. The lyrics stem from his personal life and the recent changes he has experienced.
“I think, for better or for worse, lyrically the song is kind of a reflection of how my life has actually been lately,” he said. “Job changes, career changes, relationship changes, kind of everything I’ve been experiencing, and our beautiful, brilliant lyricists just came up with this really cool concept.”
The song features a heavy, energetic guitar presence, while the lyrics are much more reflective, asking the titular question in a way that fans at the live shows continue to enjoy.
“Wounds” is a trendier, more pop-centric indie track, which Higgins said refers to the metaphorical wounds left on both parties after a fractured relationship.
“It’s kind of like me realizing that if you go through something interpersonally with somebody, whether it’s a friendship or relationship, and it kind of phases out, that as you’re agonizing over it and looking back on it, things in life aren’t one-sided,” he said. “Another person’s also gonna feel the effects of that fallout.”
The band said they can’t say for certain what will come next as far as new music, but plans are definitely in the making.
The release party at High Dive will begin at 9 p.m., with doors opening at 8.
The band said they are looking forward to finally celebrating in their hometown again, and that while Gainesville is always changing, they look forward to seeing new faces as well as old ones.
“Gainesville will always be home to us,” Jacob Farrell, the band’s bassist said. “That's where we started; that's where we cut our teeth.”
“I think it's always interesting to go back and see who we're going to see the next time out,” Higgins said. “A lot of the people that we started with in Gainesville when we were, you know, just playing to our friends have all graduated and moved. So, it’s kind of an interesting challenge to keep a base in a college town.”
Tickets for the release party are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. The Forum can be streamed on Spotify now.
Contact Marlena Carrillo at mcarrillo@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @marcar313.
The Forum (L-R) consists of members Ethan Klohr (drums), Jacob Farrell (bass), Nick Wheeler (guitar) and Michael Higgins (vocals). The band formed in Gainesville in late 2015.
