Stepping outside of the present social issues and looking back solely at the music, The Faint’s ability to break people out of their shell was pretty essential for the time. It’s something Todd recognizes, OG fans can attest to: Maybe everyone would benefit from having dance-punk be a thing again. Its infectious synth sounds, driving rhythms, and a danceable, in-your-face nature may just be the thing to pull us all out of our collective shells.
“At that time [when we first came out], the need in the world was for people who liked indie rock, alternative or post-punk to be less…not everybody who liked that type of music wanted to be introverts forever,” says Fink. “They wanted to get out, have fun and not feel like they were being a different type of person by dancing. It sort of gave permission to that group of people to know it’s okay to go have fun, be sweaty, sexy, and do things that before they weren’t really thinking of doing.”
“That” group of people surely relish in The Faint’s return, but another group will get a taste of what Faint fans have been on for years -- metalheads. Fink isn’t sure how it happened, but the band has been booked as one of the headliners for this year’s Psycho Las Vegas, a predominantly metal-centric festival that’s upped the variety in its lineup this year by also including the likes of acts like Tobacco, Beach House and Godspeed! You Black Emperor. Guitarist Mike “Dapose” Dappen, formerly of the Omaha death metal band Lead, has been in The Faint for 18 years but otherwise it’ll be a different experience for the band as a whole.
“We’re related to metal, but I don’t think anyone would mistake us for it,” says Fink. “We’ll see if they make any sense of it, but all we can do is do what we do.” Fink feels the current setlist, which includes a handful of new tracks blended in with old hits like I Disappear, Agenda Suicide, and Desperate Guys will fair just fine, and he guarantees this Faint staple will always make the cut.
“I always insist we play Worked Up So Sexual,” says Fink. “I felt really lucky when that song came through me, and it only got better when the band did it. Really, that’s the bang-bang that you want.”
Whether it’s old tracks, new songs or topics no one wants to think about, Fink and The Faint will always be conscious of it. Depending on what happens in the next few years we may even get another socially forward record from them. It won’t necessarily intentional, but at least it’ll be something we can dance to.
“I’ve been accused of being zeitgeist-y in the past and it doesn’t really matter if that’s an insult or a compliment,” says Fink. “I just have some sort of awareness of now, what’s coming and the patterns and trends in the societal think-tank.”