Photo Credit: Mikael Johansson
Today, Fear of Men release their first song in 4 years, "Into Strangeness," a sub-3 minute salvo tightly wound with a post-punk energy that recalls the likes of Section 25 and AR Kane. Expanding their instrumental palette, the song opens up with disorientating atonal saxophone, inspired by the opening credits of 70's neorealist film Fear Eats the Soul, before Jessica Weiss' vocals paint an ominous picture of tension, possession and affliction.
"It's been a strange and extremely charged 4 years since we last released music. It's been overwhelming and painful, hopefully leading to tangible positive change," said Weiss. "In contrast, this time has personally brought a lot of healing, shutting the door finally on elements that have been toxic and draining in my life for too long. This song is an assertion of a voice, a cry of independence. As the lyrics state, I 'spent a few years in tears, but now I'm steel'. It's a song about the role of words in constructing the self. We create ourselves like books, and I'm ready to tell a different story."
Produced by guitarist Daniel Falvey, the song's title "Into Strangeness" is influenced by quantum theory, evoking a place where things fall away and decay, leaving only the essential, but also feels apt for where we now find ourselves. Though written before the onset of COVID-19, the pandemic has affected the band's ability to get in the studio and finish the album they are currently working on and they were keen to share a preview of what they've been creating.
The video, made by the band during lockdown and filmed on phones, is inspired by 16th Century British witchcraft, uncanny dreamscapes and feminine power.
The band are donating their first week of sales via Bandcamp to The Audre Lorde Project, supporting LGBTQ+ POC in the New York area.
WATCH THE "INTO STRANGENESS" VIDEO
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Brighton, U.K. band Fear of Men began in early 2011 as an extension of work Jessica Weiss was making for her art degree. Weiss had been making ambient soundtrack recordings for her short films, and met guitarist Daniel Falvey when he came to the exhibition of these films. The two arts students started working toward a more pop sound in bedroom recordings and eventually made a series of lo-fi demos with friends before releasing these on various DIY labels. The band have since then recorded two albums, 2014's Loom and 2016's Fall Forever to acclaim from NPR, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Stereogum and others. They have embarked on several extensive headline tours in North America, the UK and Europe, and have also toured with artists such as Mitski, Japanese Breakfast and Lower Dens. In 2018 they were invited by The Cure's Robert Smith to play his curated Meltdown Festival at The Southbank, London. They are currently working on their next full-length record.
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