REVIEW: Foreign Film - A Love Letter

Two years in the making but with an incredible 30 years of seasoned talent behind it, Sacramento band FOREIGN FILM have cultivated their debut record A Love Letter, incorporating hints of their hardcore roots with their more prevalent shoegaze influences, all melded together into a sound individual from anything they’ve tried before. 

The original creation of WILL HAVEN’s Jeff Irwin, through his early stages of exploring sound he gradually brought over other members of WILL HAVEN and recruited other renowned musicians from varying genres, forming a supergroup from different musical backdrops but all united in their efforts to create something stirring and innovative, 10 tracks of cinematic, moving rhythms and weighted vocals that harmonise throughout. A Love Letter is an album that will leave you unsure how to feel, with the urge to put a name to the emotion by repeatedly listening to it.

Starting track Aprile almost feels like the dawn of a new day, apt for the formation of FOREIGN FILM, building from languid guitar plucks, steady drums, and Irwin’s voice floating in the ether to a collide of instruments in a cinematic melody, the triple team of guitarists - Irwin, Sean Bivins, and Rylan Kerr - weaving between each others tones to harmonise. Kwen leads in with thunderously low bass from Adrien Contreras, building up in atmosphere and instrumental power as Irwin sings “my heart it bleeds tonight”, backing vocalist Tami Taracena’s ethereal chants adding gravitas to the track. Wish takes a darker turn into a blend of more gothic and grunge rock, the instruments contradicting each other on the final chorus as hopeful notes war against the downcast guitars.

Santa Carla builds in with synths and guitar riffs as Irwin sings sorrowfully “is this the end?”, the instruments crashing in together over Mitch Wheeler’s steady drums, the energy rising as Taracena’s vocal runs hover over them all, until it falls away to Robin Florkin’s sombre piano accompaniment. Sol keeps us on the solemn track with a rock-infused melody and hopelessly hopeful synths breaking through to echo the emotional lyrics that break for a piano riff, before distorted guitar riffs play across the space and warn of an impending breakdown. Somnolence launches straight in with Wheeler’s booming kick-drum beats and bleak guitar and riffs brewing in the back, Irwin and Taracena harmonise with clear vocals, the rhythm suddenly falling to crunchy synths and driving back in with dramatic rock.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7e2Eu1KWCE

Crunchy amp feedback that’s reminiscent of fireworks leads us into Terrace’s slowed and grunge heavy rhythms, pausing for a melancholy piano and synth segment as Irwin sings at such a low octave it’s a near-whisper, an abrupt blare of metal-inspired rhythms shattering the brief quiet. Black Sky maintains the reverberating rock elements, but feels different to the rest of the tracks with a more promising tone and major chords, in contrast with the lyrics “it’s time to say goodbye” that fade from clear vocals to a faint backdrop before the triple guitars dance around each other again as the message changes to “until we meet again”.

The title track Love Letter combines minor and major notes into a haunting melody as Irwin sings of his “devotion” in an earnest way over unhurried drums and reverbed guitar, toeing the line between a true love letter or a missive of obsession depending how the melody makes you feel. Fading in gradually with spectral synths, we come to the end of this letter with Essen, a mournful piano piece joined by Taracena’s faint vocals over an undercurrent of jarring synths and beats that feel like distant thunderclaps, the piano rising slightly in emotional depth but never breaking out into a final crescendo, drawing this cinematic experience to a humble close.

Score: 7/10

A Love Letter will be released on 12th June 2026.

Words: Julia Stark

Photos: Eric Rivera