FAINT WAVES

First things first, if you’re reading this, welcome to the site. Long overdue. Here, you’ll be able to keep up on all things Faint Waves, and I’ll also be sharing and spotlighting some things I’m very much a fan of as well. You can look forward to a lot of aesthetic admiration and the occasional write-up too. I’m glad to be here, I’m glad to have you here. Now, on to business.

Splitting the difference between when I first started Faint Waves as a project (2013) and the earliest “official” release still available (2015), 2024 marks 10 years of Faint Waves music.

From small-time independent releases to licensing a track to the legendary Café Del Mar, Faint Waves has come a long way. To say I’ve accomplished more than I ever set out to would be an understatement. I had very few long-term aspirations for the project. Many times, I had no real vision of a musical future. The project was always present-tense, putting the music first and getting my “vision” out as best I could, whatever that took. I didn’t think it would resonate with people at all and yet, time and again, I’ve been shown otherwise. The amount of support I’ve received, from listeners, DJs, and labels; it’s been profound. It’s one thing to count on the endorsement of friends and those rooting for you, it’s another to garner support from complete and utter strangers.

That isn’t to say it’s been easy. My life and my musical life, they’ve been rife with peaks and valleys. The last 10 years have largely been a challenge. Whether it was personal struggles of my own or creative struggles with the work, I haven’t had many moments of true equilibrium or balance. It’s been the most difficult part of all this, finding fulfillment and joy, and maintaining some semblance of security. There were times when I gave up a lot, and sacrificed exclusively for the music. Only to grow bitter, resentful, and burnt out when that sacrifice amounted to what I perceived as nothing. More recent struggles have involved the pervasive nature of social media and the struggle to be a business person when I simply want to make music. It’s been a continual lesson in humility and I haven’t always been so quick on the uptake.

Yet, that brings us here. 10 years on. Today, I’m much happier and while I’m still working at it, I feel I’ve found much more of a balance in my life. I still make music and work on it often, but at this point, it’s for the joy of the creative process. Same with artwork, I enjoy and take pleasure in designing the cover art for my works. The stakes in my head were always so high when it came to my work, I would always blow it all so far out of proportion. I would hinge my worth and value on things when I should have just been enjoying the creativity of it all. It’s taken a long time, but that’s where I am today. I’ve said it before elsewhere; these days, I’m not invested like I once was, there’s more to life than my music. I just want to enjoy it when I’m making it. I’m not worried about financial success, I’m not worried about marketing it, I just want to enjoy it.

It’s been quite the road here, a really good run if I do say so myself, and I’m happy to be celebrating 10 years. I’ve enjoyed looking back, both at the good and the bad. It’s been cathartic I think. In equal measure, if not more so, I’ve been looking forward. I’ve been trickling out a long line of new releases commemorating 10 years of Faint Waves music. Thus far I’ve released Sentimental, a piano-driven New Wave EP and City Of Night, a guitar-driven Italo Disco single. Next up, is Rain Rhythms, Vol. 3. An outing that I’ve been meaning to get around to for about three years now. I’ve got much more in store for this year too. As we head into Spring and Summer, we also head into Faint Waves season, so you never know what surprises will be in store.

Thank you for reading and thank you for the support. Here’s to 10 years.

~FW