The best distraction can convince a person to leave their worries behind for a while and get caught up elsewhere.

By Katie Powers

Forty Feet Tall’s A Good Distraction is a gripping and fast-paced sonic journey that offers compelling storytelling and high-energy psychedelic rock with a pop-punk flare. The album explores a range of sounds and stylistic choices, but the Portland-based alternative rockers hold a steady command over every track. Perhaps most importantly, each track effectively permits its listeners to get lost in the overwhelming and sometimes defeating world detailed on the album.

Forty Feet Tall, which features Cole Gann on guitar and vocals, Brett Marquette on bass, Jack Sehres on guitar, and Ian Kelley on drums, got their start playing at venues in Los Angeles but grew into their sound in Portland, where they attended college. A Good Distraction is their second full-length release after their debut in 2014. It’s easy to imagine the possibility of this album in a stadium setting, with the frenetic energy of a live audience giving new life and power to the high-intensity tracks. 

The album is strong from the outset, with “Rain Machine,” a rocking commencement. The track features heavy instrumentals and earnestly angsty vocals from Gann, instantly situating the listener in the powerful emotional resonance behind the album. “It’s a shame that we’re awake now/I liked you better in my dreams,” he sings. It’s a delicate balance between modern punk and nostalgic rock and roll, which the group successfully maintains through the album’s journey.

“Julian,” the album’s fourth track, represents a tonal shift from the opening run. The song leans into a heavy bassline from Marquette, underscored by a punchy guitar riff, but the storytelling feels distinctly brighter. The song moves along at a brisk and steady clip, and Gann’s vocals flow as he sings about an unstable love story. Still, the track ends on a unique and mysterious note, as the group sings together in harmony and the prominent instrumentals fade away, which aligns with the unresolved themes of the song. 

Gann’s vocals steal the show on “ON/OFF,” the album’s most contemporary track. He sings in a smooth and falsetto over stinging instrumentals that come to a head in carefully controlled harmony during the refrain. After a subtle buildup, the track reaches a crescendo that breaks away from the song’s previously restrained sound. It features a powerful guitar solo that feels like a well-earned punch to the face. 

“Don’t Tell Your Mom” is pure punk-rock fun that evokes a youthful verve. It boasts some similarities to “Ex Kids,” which appears earlier on the album but this one sounds elevated and more developed. It opens with quick, twisted, and opposing guitar hooks that instantly captivate the listener. Then, during the refrain, the band shouts, “Don’t Tell Your Mom,” conjuring an utterly angsty mood. The song’s entire vocals walk a balance of talking, singing, and freely vocalizing, making the story behind the song feel urgent and the emotions immediate. 

Listen to A Good Distraction here:

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