EP Walkthrough: Fractures talks his lush new EP, Reset

Fractures is a name you may be familiar with already, having played Splendour In The Grass and playing alongside acts ranging from Emma Louise to Amy Shark. The Melbourne musician, born Mark Zito, is somewhat of a mastermind and creating thought-provoking electronica, gaining fans in everyone from Nick Murphy to Gotye through his intricate and thickly-layered productions and soft, subtle vocals, something his newest EP, Reset, really goes out to spotlight even more so. Arriving through FADER Label/Caroline Australia, the five-track EP reflects on a year of growth for the musician (not limited to the early beginnings of an international break out in the US), crafting together a range of songs that showcase his versatility - from the soft electronica of the EP's title track, to even the immediately following Recover, which grinds with a more guitar-driven indie-rock sound. "The song encapsulates the essence of the EP, and the time it was written in," he says on the EP's lead single, Reset. "Like many of the songs it was written in a stagnant portion of my life -something of a longing for bigger and better things."

There are some thick pop mannerisms in there too, particular present through his quite haunting vocal, as well as this apparent contrast between the light and heavy side of his songwriting brain, something the musician says comes due to its linking between the past and future. "The EP encapsulates something of an in-between and a shift to bigger and hopefully better things," he says. "Songs like Reset, Dawn and Splinter are a meditation of sorts on how it pays to break a pattern and make hard decisions in order to gain momentum and get out of a rut." The EP welcomes a new side and perhaps an incoming new direction from the musician, so take a listen to the full release below alongside a track-by-track walkthrough, where he details the meaning and creation of each song, one at a time.

Fractures - Reset EP Walkthrough:

Reset

This song encapsulates the essence of the EP and the time it was written in. Like many of the songs, it was written in a stagnant portion of my life - something of a longing for bigger and better things. It was written kind of in the midst of a realisation that I’d lost sight of what I was trying to achieve in the first place, and that I’d need to shift my perspective to bring it any closer to realisation.

The song came to be just prior to my signing a label deal with Fader, something which I see and saw at the time as the beginning of new phase and in my own way, I’ve filtered the hope and enthusiasm I have towards it through my cynical view of all things - but it’s a reflection of my readiness for change in my life.

Recover

This is a sort of imagined could-have-been romance. A tension that lingers between two people where there’s obviously an attraction, but circumstance dictates the outcome. People can wander into your life and you have a connection with them, an instant rapport, and there's a lingering sadness and acceptance perhaps that they’ll inevitably leave it without much fanfare, but the inescapable thought of what might have been following you around and makes you ask questions of everything. Not a foreign concept, but an uncomfortable one.

Dawn

Dawn is a song I wrote out of a frustration of going through the motions - something I’m as guilty of as anyone else. Living a life that is comfortable but unremarkable seems to me a waste and by no means at this point would I consider mine remarkable but Dawn is an exercise in trying to will it on. Assessing the mindset that sees us stuck in a cycle and mindlessly accepting the path which is laid for us rather than diverting from it and laying our own.

The production itself is quite expansive, energetic and positive which I’d say is a means of conveying the sense of hope that there is - that straying from the crowd is scary and risk-laden but worthy of trying.

Splinter

In the spirit of the rest of EP, Splinter is looking at the space I was in while looking forward simultaneously and thinking on what comes next.

The verses deal with my headspace at a time of anxiety that, though muted, ran through my mind in the quieter moments of the day or night and manifested itself in a tightness. A concept I imagine many are familiar with - quietly wondering ‘is this all that life will be?’. The bigger picture being what my next move would be and its importance in the scheme of things, and knowing that this period of apprehension will ultimately lead somewhere else, good or bad, and will wash away like all things do. It will all lead somewhere. The chorus is about not wanting to look back on a life or a part of it with regret, having not asked all the questions or explored all the options that you could have. Tying into what Reset and Dawn have already laid out, it’s about moving on a feeling, breaking the cycle in order to get somewhere meaningful. Colour in a greyscale space. Just change in general.

Sculptures

Sculptures is about the anatomy of a relationship - I seem to have a fixation on time and how things appear when looked upon as a whole.

Relationships can be fickle at times but to have a foundation you can rest on is comforting. This one deals with the little things that build a partnership, almost without being noticed. The fibres strengthen and get sewn into you and despite what challenges might disrupt there’s the knowledge that what you’re a part of is so deeply rooted it can’t be shifted.

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