Music Spot: Fuji Gateway - Tuesdays, Am I Right?

From time to time, we shine the spotlight on a SoundGym member by reviewing one of their releases for our Music Spot feature. This time around we are checking out Steven Applegate’s recent single under his Fuji Gateway moniker; ‘Tuesdays, Am I Right?’. Fuji Gateway is a solo project that takes inspiration from the likes of Alt-J and Tame Impala.

The title of the single is taken from a something that Applegate and his work friends started saying because “Tuesdays tend to be a slow for business and sometimes bleak feeling day of the week”. The song is about the emotional ups and downs of life, and how people use substances to try and regulate those feelings. 

‘Tuesdays, Am I Right?’ is a gentle, meandering thing – strummed guitars and a mellifluous bass line underpin warm synths and Applegate’s delicate falsetto. The lyrics are an emotional, almost desperate, plea for contentment. They come to a dispirited zenith at the point that Applegate describes himself as “floating like a stone”. 

The morose prettiness of the music along with Applegate’s singing style brings Mercury Rev’s classic album, Deserter’s Songs to mind. There is a similarity in the themes engaged with too; an effort is being made to describe the everyday melancholy that creeps into most lives at some point. 

The lofi production aesthetic owes a lot to dreampop; there is a soft focus to the instrumentation. The sound has been crafted through analogue (or analogue modelling) effects, such as tape saturation and a liberally applied vintage reverb. Phasing on the guitars adds a psychedelic tinge to proceedings.

The song has a strong melodic identity but shies away from going all out on a chorus – these sections are almost indistinguishable from the verse both in melody and instrumentation. The decision helps with that meandering feeling; this is a song that carries you gently away downstream. It ends with a very low-key psychedelic wig out; a guitar solo and ethereal vocal runs bring things to close but the energy levels never really rise, ensuring that the spell cast by the track is never broken. 

‘Tuesdays, Am I Right?’ reminds us that beauty can emerge from life's everyday struggles. Through soft-focus melodies and introspective lyrics, Steven Applegate crafts a poignant narrative that resonates long after the music fades.

If you’d like to hear more from Fuji Gateway, you can do so on Spotify, Apple Music, Soundcloud or YouTube. You can also follow Steven Applegate on Instagram and TikTok.