PRESS
Mike Jacobs, All About Jazz 12/4/2019
…Forq has kept its eye on its original stylistic ball while capitalizing on the strengths of its different members …Nowhere is this more evident or successful than on Four. Where the previous release, Threq, found the group coming into its own, this one plays like a true breakout album. …its deepest, most satisfying album to date.
…the light-hearted feel and quirky soundscapes actually help to highlight just how much underlying musical umami there is on Four … What perhaps sets this album even further ahead of its predecessors is that Forq has found what may be a magic point of equilibrium between economy and virtuosity. This makes the instances where they do "let the cat out of the bag"—among them Thomas' stunning breaks in "Grifter," McQueen's sheer solo- abandon in "EAV," Hey's piano assault in "Lullabye" and badder-than-thou turns in "Duck People"—all the more delicious, instead of de rigueur.
Jonathan Butters, getintothis.co.uk 8/10/2019
Forq demonstrate themselves to be masters of building and releasing sonic tension, combining groove with moments of complexity before taking the music into new directions without a warning, yet it never jars or feels forced.
…the band’s spontaneity, and ability to lead mesmerising creative wanderings back to the big, hummable musical motifs …Forq’s performance leaves little doubt that they possess a playful, enjoyable synergy between the four musicians on stage.
John Shand, The Sydney Morning Herald 11/1/2018
Forq's members scratch their own initials on the mighty trunk from which grow the tangled branches of r&b, rock, blues and jazz.
They seemed to want to enchant, surprise and amuse, rather than pummel you into submission with string-quartet precision at heavy-metal volume.
Forq bolsters this overt playfulness …with a flair for the sort of ferocious funk that socks you in the solar plexus first and asks musical questions later.
Marc Hlavac, On Stage Review 3/23/2017
To call Forq an all star band would be a gross understatement; every member is a virtuoso. … profound power of expression through their instruments …how such an excessively talented group can evolve their sound and refine the chemistry between the members the way they have is nothing short of amazing.
Forq has always delivered a unique auditory sensation somehow combining a feeling of eeriness with a relaxing groove. This album does not steer any further away from that. In fact, it seems to dive even a little deeper into what is relatively uncharted territory. Without letting go of the groove or their brilliant melodic touch, this album opens up a bit more on the rhythmic side and leaves more space for soloing, allowing every member of the band to really express themselves.
Mike Jacobs, All About Jazz 8/18/2017
Forq is a band best experienced live …live, FORQ's music has an added dimension of openness, adventurousness and power.
The quartet launched into "Lymaks" and quickly showed how they and their brand of quirky, exploratory, groove-smart music were powerful enough to fully occupy the sonic hole left by a (very good) band, nearly three times their size. No mean feat but as the set progressed, it became obvious the power of FORQ stems not only from talent but from personality.
Hey’s performance this night with Forq showed that his penchant for coaxing the sparkle out of the oddest of keyboard sounds is matched only by his daunting (if not always apparent) facility and his sympatico musicianship. But whether supplying hooky melody lines to heads, providing empathic support to other soloists, or wowing with a formidable improv himself, Hey exuded an easy-going, anything-for-the-music nature that seemed to be contagious, if not emblematic, for the whole band.
McQueen’s talents for experimenting with textures and effects are given the wider berth they deserve in FORQ. From the silvery cosmic surf guitar of "Cowabunghole," to slide work on "Crush" to hyper-saturated tones on the majestic encore "Gerard," McQueen's unbridled performances were consistently among the highlights of the show.