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As Fiction Family, the two San Diego musicians find plenty of sonic common ground and, most important, a dozen richly crafted and intriguingly rendered songs.
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Since both Switchfoot and Nickel Creek were touring during this record’s gestation, Foreman and Watkins wrote songs individually and passed them back and forth in parts. They make a pretty solid team as-is, and if their approach to songwriting were more unified, their sound probably would be too.
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Fiction Family is slightly sprawling as a result, having been compiled over a number of years, but the track list takes strength in diversity as it alternates between sprightly duets and slow, Elliott Smith-styled melancholia.
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Whether Fiction Family moves forward or remains just a one-off side project, most of the chances that Watkins and Foreman have taken for this record pay off, making for a project that is sure to appeal to their existing fanbases and which stands on its own merits.
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It’s like they’re writing about love solely because thoughtful, sensitive songwriters are supposed to write about it.