Far Q

Lower Than Atlantis formed in 2007 while the members were attending college.[1] Guitarist Ben Sansom asked guitarist Mike Duce if he wished to form a band with Ben's brother Luke, who would provide vocals.[2] Alongside them was bassist Richard Wilkinson and drummer Matt Britz.[3] Following line-up changes,[2] such as the addition of drummer Josh Pickett, bassist Stephen Minter,[4] and Duce becoming the band's frontman,[5] they began working on what would become their first EP, Bretton.[2]

Duce taught himself how to sing and play guitar at the same time while playing along to the band's Demo 2007 release.[6] Bretton was released in December 2008.[7] Partway through the touring cycle for the EP, the band had further line-up changes.[8] In June 2009, the band toured with We Stare at Mirrors.[6] Through this tour, drummer Eddy Thrower met Duce and Sansom.[9] We Stare at Mirrors bassist Declan Hart "thought Lower Than Atlantis were meth-heads. Their reputation was just mental."[6] Luke Sansom re-joined on bass, before leaving a second time.[10]

While at university, Duce wrote the majority of songs that would feature on Far Q,[6] which were later credited to the band as a whole.[11] Duce wrote about his life experiences in Watford, such as working on building sites, going to the pub and relationships.[12] "Eating Is Cheating" features references to bars and clubs in Watford.[13] Ben Patashnik of Rock Sound described the album as taking "their first steps into more melodic territory", while at the same time keeping "the hard, gritty edge" of Bretton.[6] The album's sound has been described as melodic hardcore,[14] post-hardcore,[15] and punk rock.[16]

Shortly afterwards, the pair found themselves without a drummer.[6] Duce called Sansom, asking "Why does everyone keep leaving [the band]?!".[6] They soon remember drummer Eddy Thrower from We Stare at Mirrors. They called him, asking he if would like to partake in a practice session.[6] Thrower, who was unhappy with his time at university[17] and with the band he was in, accepted the offer.[10] Thrower fit in quickly, resulting in the trio writing "Far Q".[6] Duce explained the band "never worked with a good drummer before. [With Thrower, i]t was... nice."[6] Duce and Sansom previously created demos with programmed drums.[18] Thrower initially learned the songs as they were but began changing the drum parts after a few practices.[18] He used a double bass pedal for a lot of fills.[19]

Far Q was recorded in a room above a printing factory in Hertfordshire between September and October 2009.[11] The band were originally supposed to be on tour during September and October,[20] but had to cancel plans when their bass player left.[21] The album was produced by Daniel Lancaster, who also engineered and mixed it.[11][nb 1] The band had known Lancaster since they formed.[23] Lancaster would constantly push Thrower to get a good drum sound to the extent where he was screaming in Thrower's face.[18] Duce played bass on the album while Lancaster has guest vocals on "A/S/L?".[11] The album was mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music in New Windsor, New York in November.[11]

On 14 February 2010, "I'm Not Bulimic (I Just Wanted to See How Far I Could Stick My Fingers Down My Throat)" was made available for streaming via the band's Myspace profile.[24] The music video for "Taping Songs Off the Radio" was released on 17 February,[25] and the song released as a single on 1 March with "I'm Not Bulimic (I Just Wanted to See How Far I Could Stick My Fingers Down My Throat)" as the B-side.[26] Far Q was released on 29 March 2010 through independent label A Wolf at Your Door Records.[27] German label Redfield released a mediabook edition of the CD and a vinyl version of the album; the mediabook was limited to 1,000 copies while the vinyl was limited to 500 copies.[8] The album's artwork was created by Alex Gregory and Jon Bamby.[11] The pair also contributed the design, while Gregory provided photography and Bamby did the layout.[11] Due to their frequent line-up changes in the past, the band's initial plan was to have temporary bass players. However, shortly after the release of Far Q, Declan Hart joined the group.[6]

Hart, who was a guitarist at the time, subsequently purchased a bass.[28] Previously, the band frequently gave Hart a lift to places. Duce explained, Hart "would show up, drink all our rider and get wasted. We were like, 'We like this guy!'"[6] Around this time, the group were having problems with their label. Hart explained: "They didn't understand us or what we were doing. We had a punk ethic".[29] In addition, the members quit their jobs[10] and began to focus on the band full-time.[17] Lower Than Atlantis supported I Am Ghost on their tour of the UK in May.[30] The band toured the UK between June and August.[31] The music video for "Far Q" was released on 6 July,[32] and the single was released on 19 July with "Mike Duce's Symphony No.11 in D Minor" as the B-side.[33] The band toured with TRC on the This Is England Tour in September.[34] The band toured the UK as part of Rock Sound Presents... Powered by Fender tour in September and October, alongside Architects, Norma Jean and Devil Sold His Soul.[35] Rock Sound predicted the band's popularity would increase following the tour.[36]

As part of their 2019 3-date farewell tour, the band released 300 limited edition vinyl pressings of the album (100 per night).

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Alter the Press!	3/5[37]
Clash	Favorable[38]
Dead Press!	[39]
The Line of Best Fit	Favourable[40]
Ox-Fanzine	[41]
Rock Sound	8/10[14]
Thrash Hits	3/6[42]

Far Q was critically acclaimed upon release.[43] Alter the Press! reviewer Sean Reid said Far Q was the band's attempt at standing out in a big pool of other UK hardcore bands.[37] Reid noted that the album is "Filled with energy and passion" from the beginning and are able to show their honesty with "social[ly]-aware lyrics".[37] He mentioned that the band have a good balance of "hardcore brutality" and good melodies.[37] Johnskibeat of The Line of Best Fit noted that the album is inspired by "90′s grunge, rock and punk-pop bands" and that the band have a strong habit of "ting dirty, aggressive music".[40] Johnskibeat said the album follows a "re-energised" band "delving into the gritty subjects of recession, unemployment and a disenchanted youth."[40] Tomas Doyle of Thrash Hits said he was unable to "fully enjoy this record", regardless of the "musical proficiency," due to the lyrics being "THAT bad."[42]

Reviewing the album for Rock Sound, reviewer Richard Cartey said the band's "maturity [went] beyond expectations".[14] Cartey noted that pushing melodic hardcore's boundaries in terms of music and lyrics helps the album's appeal.[14] Cartey also said that Duce's vocals fit "perfectly" to the material.[14] Tristan Parker of Clash said the band managed to create "very worthy, out-and-out gritty rock" album, complete with "pleasingly jagged riffs".[38] Parker noted the "underlying technical complexity and [...] nice melodies" show off the band's "genuinely impressive musicianship".[38]

Dead Press! featured it as number 13 on their best albums of the year list.[44] In a Rock Sound interview in February 2011, Duce said that half of the material on the album was "blink-and-you'll-miss-it [moments]."[45] Looking back in a Kerrang! interview in August 2011 Duce thought the album was "too personal" and likened the lyrics to "airing my dirty laundry".[12] "Far Q" has since remained a staple of the band's live performances.[6]

All music written and arranged by Lower Than Atlantis. All lyrics by Michael Duce.[11]

1. "Far Q" – 4:12
2. "B.O.R.E.D" – 1:50
3. "Taping Songs Off the Radio" – 2:50
4. "I'm Not Bulimic (I Just Wanted to See How Far I Could Stick My Fingers Down My Throat)" – 4:47
5. "Eating Is Cheating" – 3:22
6. "No Belts" – 3:37
7. "Face Full of Scars" – 3:24
8. "A/S/L?" – 2:39
9. "Down with the Kids" – 3:48
10. "Yo Music Scene, What Happened?" – 3:19
11. "Mike Duce's Symphony No.11 in D Minor" – 3:09
12. "Extra! Extra! Read All About It!" – 3:30

Personnel per booklet.[11]

Footnotes

Citations

Sources