Muzak is back: Tik-Tok and Faye Webster have a lot to answer for

Sydney Morning Herald

16-07-2025

A crowd going wild for easy listening tunes resplendent with smooth saxophone and country-but-not-too-country lap steel guitar would make sense if it were, say, the 1970s and the audience was made up of accountants. But when it's 2025, the music is coming from a hip 28-year-old and the adoring gig-goers are Gen Z teenagers, things start to feel a little weird, like time has collapsed in on itself.
The hip 28-year-old is Atlanta's Faye Webster, and the reason her very Boomer-friendly, lite country-folk-rock is so popular with a room full of giddy youth, is because of TikTok - where, apparently, any artist can blow up and become famous off a viral song or two.
To be fair, those viral hits - Kingston and I Know You - have obviously led to genuine fandom for those in attendance, as screams and singalongs meet almost every song, most of which are from Webster's 2024 album Underdressed at the Symphony.
The screams are deployed quite generously, even at odd moments, like when the middle-aged lap steel guitar player does his thing, or a fiddle is played, or a saxophone is picked up and blown at a mood set to 'Kenny G'.
The music is what the kids would call a 'vibe', a constant procession of mid-tempo, wistful songs sung sweetly by Webster that become almost indistinguishable after a while, such is their insistence on sticking to a formula that rarely strays (Lego Ring, with its fuzz guitar and increased tempo, is one of the rare exceptions).
A large part of Webster's appeal to teens likely stems from relatable songs with simple sentiments, like Feeling Good Today, He Loves Me Yeah! and Thinking About You, the latter outstaying its welcome by repeating the song's title ad nauseam in the chorus - a problem found on several of the songs played.
Faye is clearly a talented singer and musician, but not an especially engaging performer. Banter is kept to a minimum, save for the usual 'What's up, Sydney?' and band introductions made toward the end of the set.
There's the odd highlight - Wanna Quit All the Time sounds like Fleetwood Mac at their breeziest - but even Kingston, the predicable final song that gets a hero's welcome, suffers from sounding a little like every other song played. A victory for consistency perhaps, but not one for substance over style.