If you want to get in good with your lover, write a song about them. But if you really want to seal the deal, write a song that describes them as a force of nature.
It’s what Toronto’s F-105 are up to on their new single, the frankly worshipful “Immovable.” Singer/songwriter/guitarist Din has cooked up an ardent little promise ring of a tune, in which he compares the object of his affections to a host of almighty natural phenomena—including, but not limited to, “An eternal light/ Even when you’re not.”
“You are immovable,” the song’s habit-forming refrain repeats over and over, in a tone as admiring as its subject is inevitable.
A pleasantly skanking number with distinct ska/reggae overtones, “Immovable” comes from F-105’s new EP, F-105 II: Side A. It’s a six-song outing that furthers Din’s agenda of “using the rock ’n roll life force to make some noise about the common threads that connect us.” Bassist Isaac Daniel Eng, keyboardist AJ Jiang and drummer Elvis Lewis join their fearless leader to wring the utmost emotional heft out of material they workshopped together over two years of live performances and then laid down “off the floor” in an intensive six-hour recording session. Producer Marc Meriläinen has steered the group toward terrain that makes for a terrific contrast with the previously released, all-acoustic F-105 II: Side B. (Don’t try to make sense of the numbering; you’ll just spoil the fun.)
“Some great stuff there,” says Jaimie Vernon, author of The Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia, in praise of the new EP. He singles out “Immovable” as a particular favorite: “The falsetto is strong and shows Din has range. The whole thing is well done.”
Such plaudits are getting increasingly common as Din passes two decades of honing his pipes via worldwide touring and cementing his songwriting chops over the course of nine albums (four with F-105 and five with his previous outfit, The Soles). Over the years, he’s traded in styles and genres ranging from pop punk to indie rock to alt country rock to funk and beyond. At the same time, he’s also worked tirelessly on behalf of Indigenous rights and pursued his muse as a visual artist. (He designs every album cover, poster and piece of merch that bears his band’s name.)
“Immovable” arrives as a single accompanied by a performance video that’s a collage of clips from three of the band’s rapturously received live gigs. Speaking of which, the real thing will be back in action for a Sunday, February 16, appearance at the Winterfolk Festival in Toronto (with Glen Hornblast and Friends). Come out and bear witness to a force in today’s music that isn’t just immovable—it’s unstoppable.
