“F stands for Fauves. F stands for frustration. F stands for fresh starts”. An emphatic statement from Fauves in the lead up to their brand new single, curiously titled ‘F’.
Over the course of three years, Fauves have transformed from a bedroom indie band into a wide-ranging sonic collective, steadily expanding their own catalogue with increasingly R&B and smooth rock influences while also collaborating with other musicians and producers such as Basil Panagop who credits them on a number of tracks on his recently released debut album.
The arrival of ‘F’ signals this shift more so than ever. Following the release of ‘Bathe’ and ‘Wither Away’ in lockdown, new single ‘F’ finds them shifting things up a gear once more. Transporting us back to the infectiously smooth sounds of the 90s, the track opens with warm dreamy synths, breakbeats and funk-inspired bass lines before Ryan Caldwell enters with his playful signature falsetto.
A wholly intoxicating sonic journey ensues, one that traverses through a melting pot of funk and soul-inspired R&B influences under the stewardship of Jamie Holmes’ masterful production. Built around another memorable chorus, it’s their meticulous attention to detail that continues to surprise with little sonic gems revealing themselves through waves of dreamy psychedelia – from the twinkling synth lines to the mystical sound of Lizzie Kiyoko’s flute floating over the post-chorus to Matthew Devlin’s occasional sax flourishes, gradually becoming a hallmark feature of their sound.
Brimming with atmosphere and gradually easing its way onto the dancefloor, the track finishes in absolute euphoria with a full band jam. ‘Goodbye…’ Caldwell whispers as they ease their way into an exciting new chapter.
‘F’ is an ambitious statement of intent from one of Glasgow’s most inventive outfits. With a long list of credits that spans Jamie Holmes and drummer Ciaran Devlin on production duties, Gianluca Bernacchi and Ryan Caldwell on additional production, John Davis on Mastering, Humble Film Studios on visual direction and Sarah Alexander on artwork, it’s a product of real collaboration and innovation from a band whose creative inspiration seemingly knows no bounds.
We caught up with them to hear about the tune and how this marks a new era for the band. They said “We have been exploring different ways of writing, as we’ve been very lucky to be able to have our own studio space now, so we’ve been making a lot more stuff as a team over at The Vibe Station. Lockdown has put an interesting spin on writing as there has been literally no time limitations when demoing. This either results in a diamond or we smoke too many doobers and it results in a bunch of nonsense, but it is a sacrifice which we are willing to make. In the name of the lord!”
As for the new project they have teased in recent social media posts, they say “All we can say is that the new project is certainly our biggest and best to date and even though the lil thing is still currently being baked in our oven of buns, we are legally allowed to tell you that the initial scans show that we are gonna give birth to a beautiful little 21.2lb baby girl who we will call Geoff, and we are confident that she will grow up strong and powerful and live in a mansion in Kent and with her empire she will financially support her divorced, impoverished parents in East Kilbride and the Southside of Glasgow, respectively.”
Featured on this week’s highly sought-after New Music Friday playlist on Spotify, check it out below.
