MIGHTY - Bye, Have Nice!

Chocked full of attitude, Bye, Have Nice!, the debut EP of Angelo Fiaretti (stage name: MIGHTY) is a wonderfully appropriate tribute to the teenage struggle. Having descended from his hometown of Pittsburgh down to Atlanta, Fiaretti’s offering is diverse, enthralling and delightfully raw. The five tracks share this balance between the feeling that the lyrics exist only on a crumpled piece of paper, and the deliberation of work which has been cooking for a while.

The EP’s opener, Fingertip, is totally indicative of MIGHTY’s style that the listener discovers as they progress through the record. The lyrics are clever – I love Fiaretti’s analogy “My polygraph fingertips are numb” – and they lie perfectly balanced atop the grunge-y garage rock instrumental. There is also a consistency to the track which really impresses as the composition of the backing fluctuates throughout.

Confederate Days (most garage rock track title ever), follows the same general path as Fingertip but with a touch more emphasis on the instrumental. At points the lyrics get repetitive, but on the other hand they are still strong – and in this song Fiaretti opens more of a dialogue with the audience through his words with some direct address: “Yeah I’m down, check out the ashtray!”

Breaking out of the realm of self-discovery explored in Confederate Days, Other Kids ponders the more external. The vocal work in this song is better than the previous two – that is to say that we get more of an idea of the singer’s range, especially in the chorus.

The final two songs of the EP, Losing Things and Holy Book continue to paint detailed portraits of teen life in America. Losing Things does not fit the mould of the album; it’s a more laid-back, contemplative piece, accented by an unassuming percussion aspect and drawn-out guitar chords. Following this respite, the grunge side of MIGHTY re-emerges in Holy Book. Concluding Holy Book, and hence the record as a whole, is an excerpt of Fiaretti peacefully jamming with his acoustic guitar – a superb touch to seal the EP.

I’m very glad I’m not a teenager anymore, and I’m also glad I didn’t grow up in American suburbia. But through this handful of songs, MIGHTY captures that sublime juxtaposition of youth’s problems and gripping nostalgia. There’s work to be done for Fiaretti to perfect his trade (something which is inevitable with DIY rock music) but Bye, Have Nice! is a resounding advertisement for his genre.

Listen to MIGHTY’s EP in full below.