Fool Me Once

There is something immediately appealing about Fool Me Once, the latest EP from Bela Fool. Across four tracks, the band have put together a release that feels like it has its own personality from the very beginning, refusing to make the listening experience feel overly complicated or unnecessarily drawn out. Instead, Bela Fool focus on getting their ideas across with a directness that gives the EP a sense of immediacy, while still allowing each song to develop its own character. It is a short release but it doesn’t feel like a small one. There is enough going on across these four tracks to give a good indication of what Bela Fool are about, while also leaving plenty of room for the listener to come away wanting to hear more.

Up To Me opens proceedings and immediately gives Fool Me Once a sense of direction. It is an effective choice as an opening track because it doesn’t spend an age building towards its point. Instead, Bela Fool establish themselves relatively quickly, allowing the listener to settle into the sound without needing a long introduction. There is a straightforward quality to the songwriting that works particularly well here, with the track feeling driven by the song itself rather than by an attempt to make the production do all of the work.

That is something that becomes important as the EP progresses. There is enough character within the performances for the songs to stand on their own and Up To Me provides the foundation for everything that follows. It feels like an introduction to Bela Fool’s world but importantly, it doesn’t give away everything at once. The track leaves enough space for the remaining songs to introduce different sides of the band’s personality.

There is also a sense of energy that runs underneath the opening track. Even when the arrangement isn’t trying to be overwhelming, there is a feeling that the song is constantly moving forward. That gives it an immediacy that suits an EP especially well. You don’t have to spend several listens trying to figure out what the band are attempting to do; the identity is there from the outset.

From there, Fool Me Once moves into The Ballad Of Billy Jesus and this is where the release begins to show a little more of its personality. Even before getting into the music itself, the title suggests that Bela Fool aren’t necessarily interested in taking the most predictable route with their songwriting. The track feels like a natural progression from the opener but it has enough of its own character to stop the EP from becoming repetitive.

What works particularly well about this track is the feeling that there is a story behind it. It gives the EP another dimension and demonstrates that Bela Fool aren’t simply relying on the same musical idea across every song. There is a different atmosphere surrounding it and that contrast is important on a four track release. When an EP is this short, every song has to justify its place and The Ballad Of Billy Jesus does that by bringing something different into the overall picture.

It also helps that Bela Fool don’t appear to be afraid of giving their songs personality. There is a certain looseness to the material that makes it feel more human. Rather than every moment sounding engineered to absolute perfection, there is still a sense that these are songs being performed by a band with their own identity. That can be an important quality, particularly when so much modern music can end up feeling excessively polished.

The middle of the EP then brings us to Pest Control which feels like another shift in emphasis. This is a track where the energy of the release becomes particularly apparent and it works as a useful change of pace after the character of The Ballad Of Billy Jesus, the song has an immediacy to it that makes it easy to imagine translating into a live environment, where that sense of movement and momentum could become even more pronounced.

There is something satisfying about the way the track sits within the EP rather than simply existing as an isolated song. By this point, Bela Fool have already established the basic ingredients of their sound, meaning Pest Control doesn’t have to spend time introducing the band again instead, it can concentrate on pushing the release forward.

That is arguably one of the strengths of Fool Me Once as a complete listen. The songs don’t feel as though they have been placed together randomly. There is a natural movement between them, with each track adding another piece to the overall picture. The EP remains cohesive without making every song sound identical, which is a difficult balance to achieve across such a short release.

Pest Control also highlights the importance of the band’s energy. There is an enthusiasm within the performance that stops the EP from ever becoming static. Even where the songwriting remains relatively straightforward, the delivery gives it an extra layer of character. That makes the record feel like something that would work particularly well in front of an audience rather than only existing within the studio.

The final track, Lost Her Mind then brings Fool Me Once towards its conclusion. At under three minutes, it is the shortest track on the EP and that brevity ultimately works in its favour. Bela Fool don’t attempt to stretch the song beyond what it needs to be. It arrives, delivers its idea and brings the release to a close without creating the feeling that the EP has started to lose momentum.

There is something quite fitting about ending the release this way. After the journey through the previous three tracks, Lost Her Mind feels like a final burst rather than an extended conclusion. It means that the EP finishes with the same sense of immediacy that it established at the beginning.

One of the things that becomes increasingly apparent when looking at Fool Me Once as a whole is just how important personality is to the release. Bela Fool don’t appear to be trying to manufacture some huge, overly elaborate statement. Instead, the EP works because it feels like a genuine representation of the band and their songwriting. There is a willingness to let the tracks have their own identities and that makes the release feel considerably more interesting than something where every song follows exactly the same formula.

The songwriting is another strong point. None of the four tracks feel as though they have been unnecessarily expanded simply to make the EP appear bigger than it is. There is a good understanding of economy here. The band know when an idea has made its point and that gives the release a sense of momentum from beginning to end.

That economy is particularly important because Fool Me Once is the kind of EP that benefits from being consumed as a complete piece. While individual tracks can certainly stand on their own, hearing all four together gives you a better understanding of what Bela Fool are trying to establish. The opening track introduces the sound, the second begins to expand the personality, the third brings another injection of energy and the fourth provides a concise conclusion.

Production wise, the EP benefits from retaining some of that human quality. The songs don’t feel so heavily polished that the personality gets removed from the performances. There is still a sense of movement and natural energy, which allows the listener to connect with the band rather than simply hearing a technically perfect recording.

That doesn’t mean the production gets in the way. Instead, it feels like the songs remain the priority. The various elements have enough room to contribute without the recording becoming unnecessarily busy and that keeps the focus where it belongs, on the songwriting and performances.

The vocals also play an important role in maintaining the EP’s personality. Rather than simply functioning as another layer in the arrangement, the delivery helps give the songs their own identity. That becomes particularly useful when moving between tracks because it provides a consistent thread running through the release, even when the individual songs take slightly different approaches.

There is also a certain confidence in the fact that Bela Fool have kept the EP to four tracks. It would have been easy to add additional material simply to make the release longer but Fool Me Once doesn’t need that. It says what it needs to say within its existing runtime and that makes the listening experience feel purposeful.

The title Fool Me Once also feels increasingly appropriate as the EP develops. There is a sense of personality and attitude running through the release and it gives the whole project a slightly mischievous edge. Rather than taking itself too seriously, Bela Fool seem comfortable allowing the songs to have some fun with their ideas. That makes the EP more approachable without taking away from the musical side of things.

What I particularly like about the release is that it doesn’t feel like Bela Fool are desperately trying to convince the listener that they are something they aren’t. The EP feels comfortable within its own skin. That is difficult to manufacture, and it gives the four songs a sense of authenticity.

There are certainly moments where the record could perhaps have benefited from even more variation or additional development within some of its ideas but that is also where the EP format works in its favour. Rather than leaving those elements feeling underdeveloped, the relatively short runtime means the listener is left with the feeling that there is more territory for Bela Fool to explore in the future.

That is probably the biggest takeaway from Fool Me Once. This feels like a release that introduces a band rather than attempts to tell their entire story in one go. Bela Fool establish their personality, demonstrate that they can move between different moods and approaches and then leave the door open for whatever comes next.