A QUICK CHAT WITH FVNERAL

‘WHEN I GET SOBER’ is a beautiful collection of vulnerably significant songs. Out of all the lyrics across the EP, is there a line or a passage that might sum up all that FVNERAL stands for? 

That’s so sweet! One of the things that we want to convey is that despite the dark or difficult things we write about, we genuinely want to convey a true sense of hope. We really do see light and the end of the tunnel, or at least will keep searching until we can. The end of ‘CALIFORNIA STREET’ really speaks to this:

“I know change is hard 

And my hope is silent

But I won’t lie down

‘til you can lay beside me

And I’ll pound my chest

‘Cause, darling, I’m still frightened

But I will not rest

‘til I am better than this”

Understanding you have an array of influences, who would you say has had the greatest impact on the music you make?

Wow, great question! It’s hard to go past Frightened Rabbit, particularly Scott Hutchinson, who I honestly think was the most profound songwriter of his generation. He was the king of working through dark shit with such gentleness and grace, and always searching for hope. I think for both Ally and I, if we want to paint a picture of the range of influences, we draw from it’s hard to go past our mutual love for the holy trinity of Phoebe Bridgers, Carly Rae Jepsen and The 1975. It might seem like an odd combo but in their own way they manage to combine super vivid lyrical content with sonic palettes that do so much of the emotional heavy lifting.

Artistic strength is difficult to explain, but how do you think it best applies to FVNERAL?

Honestly, I think any of the strength that we find in creating for FVNERAL is found in collaborating. It sounds really corny, but we’ve managed to create space for each other to work through and process whatever we are going through, where we all can feel heard and seen and held in whatever way we need. The world is such a beautiful place, but it can also be terrifying and hard, so artistic strength for us is finding ways to hold all these truths together, all while taking care of ourselves and each other.

Your visuals compliment your music impeccably, is this something you hold in high regard for the project?

Definitely. FVNERAL really started to take shape when Jay (photo/video/visuals) and Jess (content strategy) got involved. They’re the reason FVNERAL goes beyond being a band and is truly a full creative collective. We love pairing visuals with music and finding ways to amplify certain themes from the songs, to add another layer of nuance to them or to flip them on their head entirely. It sounds so pretentious, but we honestly want to tell as many interesting and compelling stories as we can, and by making each of the videos into what are essentially short films, it feels like we can go some way to growing the world of FVNERAL a little more each time.

If there is a FVNERAL blueprint for 2023, can you tease it for us?

Haha, we love a tease! Well, we really don’t want to slow down at all after the EP drop. In terms of new material, we've got a LOT of music ready to roll out and a stack of new demos waiting to take shape. When the project started, we set a goal of putting out a new song every 2 months for a year, and we’ll keep that going for the next 2 years! 

In terms of live stuff, not too long after our first ever show on 22 October (which you should ALL come to!!!) we’ll have some more shows to announce that we’ll be playing over Summer. 

We’re just getting started!