Fake Laugh & Tarquin – Only Fear

Alt-Pop artist Kamran Khan (A.K.A. Fake Laugh) and producer David Parsons (A.K.A. Tarquin) join forces in their latest single, ‘Only Fear’, to create, in their own words, a “song about being scared of losing everything and everyone all the time, dressed up in the guise of our version of a Swedish late 90s pop smash”.

Musically, the song triggers the exact opposite; it appears, in a first instance, as a low-key friendly pop song. Combining Tarquin’s experimental beat production with Fake Laugh’s mellow voice, the track creates an easygoing environment. In their earlier collaborations, ‘So Good’, and ‘Meaningless Things’, things went in a much darker direction when it came to music and lyrics whereas, now, the duo seems to have settled with a more upbeat sound.

Both having gained so much recognition during the past years, Khan with his 2019 album ‘Dining Alone’, and Parsons with his collaborations with artists such as the critically acclaimed Dirty Projectors and Mr. Mitch, it comes only natural that their work together has reached such quality. Even though we do not know whether they will release another single together or not, we should definitely be excited to see where both musicians head up to, for their sound promises to be a fresh alternative for this Summer’s indie pop scene.

Ignacio Zaltsman