It’s protected to say that Towa Fowl is having a second. The British-Filipino sensation – who first picked up guitar aged 12 – went viral over lockdown together with her theatrical riffing over WILLOW and Supertramp songs; extra just lately, she has been thrust right into a tabloid highlight due to a reported relationship with Reneé Rapp, for whom Fowl at present performs guitar on tour.
Whereas TikTok has induced subcultures to change into extra pocketed and algorithmically distilled than ever, by it Fowl has discovered her folks; backed by Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo, a clutch of singles has left followers hungry for extra. Leaning into catchy pop and storage rock blended with an anecdotal edge, Fowl’s debut album ‘American Hero’ has a gloss that’s, undeniably, all-American.
The highlights are acquainted but typically comparable, and topped with a canny turn-of-phrase: “I’m Indiana Jones, you’re my final campaign” Fowl sings on the punchy ‘Wild Coronary heart’. Spiky anti-capitalist anthem ‘B.I.L.L.S’, in the meantime, sticks it as much as The Man.
Nonetheless, Fowl finds development within the slower moments. ‘This Isn’t Me’ mixes dreamy guitars with moody distortion, earlier than album nearer ‘A Social gathering’ dials it again with mild acoustics and hushed vocals. Collectively, these songs glide alongside with out a lot momentum; at occasions, you’re left questioning the place the uncooked affect of her guitar heroes Jimi Hendrix and Prince went.
Rising up between Thailand, Hong Kong, and London, it wasn’t till Fowl moved to Los Angeles that she first discovered herself feeling “very a lot” like an immigrant, as she beforehand described to NME. Whereas the slick manufacturing of ‘American Hero’ conjures a sound becoming of its satirical title, its songs proudly go towards tall, white, ‘Captain America’ archetype – and as an alternative rejoice the multitudes of queer love.
“Tip of my tongue / Candy and bitter / Again of my automobile / Within the bathe,” lists Fowl on fan-favourite ‘Drain Me’, a peppy ode to lesbian intercourse that gives an alternative choice to songs written within the male gaze. Punchy opener ‘FML’ meshes the dizzy pining of long-distance love with the clumsy pleasure of crushing onerous, all whereas quipping a Jennifer’s Physique rewatch with a figuring out wink.
As an “androgynous queer” Filipino, Fowl challenges what it means to be American for a era rising up with out the inflexible constraints of a stereotype. With ‘American Hero’, she willingly embodies being a logo of queer visibility for her personal younger followers; as Fowl just lately advised NME of her music, “to the surface world, it represents a lot, way more.”
Particulars
- Launch date: June 28
- Report label: Polydor
