Meet : FEBUEDER
Guitar, bass, cornet, baritone, ukulele, micro synthesiser, keyboard, percussion, vocals, melodica, electric cello.
…No that’s not the inventory for your nearest music shop but the crazy range of instruments played by the two members of Febueder. With layers of dulcet lyrics and catchy guitar riffs, we recommend finding a cozy spot, putting your feet up and relaxing to the dreamy soundscapes of their debut album Tomalin Has Etched In, or their most recent single release Nea Komeni.
With interests ranging from environmentalism to Charles Mingus and Carly Simon, it’s unsurprising that their music and videos reflect such an eclectic mix of references to the utmost perfection. You’re likely to find them at your coolest local jazz bar, but due to COVID we took advantage of their nights in to chat about the lead up to their debut album, the importance (or non) importance of lyrics and how they’ve stayed creative this past year.
LB: You guys formed back in 2013 – can you tell us a bit about how Febueder was formed?
Kieran - We met at primary school, I learned guitar in secondary and implored Sam to play drums, he got a Yamaha Edrum kit, we made gothic pop, sunny side up pop; it’s a kind of scramble now.
Samuel - We formed a friendship from when we were 8 years old. Like all friends who do things together and therefore are based on each other. Our common interest when we were very young was building dens in the woods, then football, then skateboarding, then music. Skateboarding and music have remained ever since.
In September you guys did a Colors performance of Morning Yawn & Réseau – why did you choose these songs?
Kieran - I deliberately chose a disparate pair to display our musical capabilities. 'Morning yawn' because it’s a strong favorite to perform, 'Réseau' because it’s a delicate single to showcase.
Samuel - I think the light blue background matches this delicateness of 'Réseau', it's a song with space, and a light mood.
You released your debut album Tomalin Has Etched In last year which is full of ethereal soundscapes and what seems like every instrument under the sun. What do each of you play, and what instrument would you love to learn?
Kieran - I play guitar, bass, cornet, baritone, ukulele, micro synthesiser, keyboard, percussion and sing. I would like to make and learn something like Mark Korven’s 'apprehension machine', he composed the soundtrack for the film 'The Lighthouse'.
Samuel - On Tomalin Has Etched In I play the drums/percussion, bass, some guitar, keyboard, melodica, vocals, and electric cello... I've been thinking about getting a recorder recently.
Brian Eno talks about how he’s gotten musical inspiration from the slamming of a car door on a busy road. Where’s the most unexpected place you’ve found inspiration for a certain sound?
Kieran - A graveyard tree with tweeting birds.
Samuel - I'd just been escorted out of a Jazz Bar in Copenhagen for being too eager. My friends remained, so I was waiting outside. As someone walked into the bar I heard a great squeal from the music inside and my attention was drawn. I didn't realise till the second time I heard that squeal that it was the door hinge to the Bar, as the door closed.
We’ve heard that your music has environmentalist undertones – what’s the main message you want listeners to pick up on in relation to this?
Kieran - Going vegan. There’s no intentional environmentalist allusions to going vegan, however I’m partial to that message.
Your music videos perfectly match your diverse sound, featuring tin-foil swimsuits to unfolding woodcuttings. How do you come up with these visual ideas and could you tell us the story behind a favourite video you’ve made?
Kieran - The Director, Jane Qian, fashioned the tin-foil swimsuits. We generally like music videos to goggle at opposed to the prominently synoptic ones. The music video for Animation was home grown and directed by us. It was located in a corn field in our home town Ascot, we liked illusion as a concept which was inspired from reading about hypnosis, this has a vague correlation to the mime artist burying a rifle, like he’s burying the unconscious but can’t resist submitting to it.
Samuel - The music video for our song 'When You Speak To Mingus' is my most dear. It's about swans being captured by a circus, and then made to perform. It's a hand-painted-stop-motion animation I worked on for two years. I couldn't stand animating by the end of it, but I'm very proud of the result.
Being a two-man group, the depth and layering of your music makes it sound like a whole cinematic orchestra could be behind it, not to mention the way it dips in and out of so many genres. Who do you hold as your greatest musical inspirations?
Kieran - Its infrequently the greatest musical inspirations that affect our diversity, it tends to be a song from an artist I occasionally listen to that engenders something I like, from Moments - Benjamin Lew and Steven Brown, Lola - Wax The Van, Two Thousand and Seventeen - Four Tet or Bernard Edwards B line in 'Why' by Carly Simon.
Samuel - That's a great compliment, and thank you for that. One of my greatest musical inspirations is Antonio Sanchez. He did the scoring for the film 'Birdman (the unexpected virtue of ignorance)' and when I first saw this film and heard his drumming technique and style it completely changed my approach to the drum kit.
The lyrics of your songs are beautiful and often meld together with your complex sound – what do you think instrumental music can do that lyrics can’t?
Kieran - Very good question. First of all it’s multilingual, it can touch people no matter what their mother tongue is. So I think lyrics are more for the individual, instruments are more inclusive.
Samuel - I'm very melody based with music, for me Lyrics will always come secondary. I think the Instruments and melodies set the feeling of music, and this is the most important part.
You’ve said that Febueder has no specific meaning – what’s the funniest/most memorable interpretation you've heard?
Kieran - That it’s like 'Bermuda Triangle'.
Samuel - An interpretation rarely happens. It's always people asking us what it means. But I do remember one: Febueder, For Beautiful.
Your latest release Nea Kameni in November has left us wanting more! What’s next for Febueder?
Kieran - Potentially an LP and a remix playlist from us with additional Febueder dance records.
Samuel - We're planning a run of new singles this summer, and then we hope to play our shows in Bristol and London this September. With the Government's new 'roadmap' for exiting Lockdown the shows should be going ahead!
What has this past year taught you about the creative process and what music has gotten you through it?
Kieran - That we have contrasting methods to recording, I prefer editing the song as I go because it tends to encourage me however the side effect is overawe. Sam likes to lay down the structure first then ameliorate on top. Arthur Russell’s discography the whole way.
Samuel - I've realised that my creativity is most inspired from versatility in life. The more I'm doing, funnily, the less time I spend creating, the better my work is for it. A few songs which are memorable from last year for me are: Everytime by Britney Spears, Vitamin C by CAN, and Daisy by Ashniko.
Cast your minds forward (just a few months!) What’s the venue and who are you watching?
Kieran - The cavernous jazz joint '38 Riv' in Paris, to see Beirut play again…
Samuel - It's St Moritz bar in Soho. The artist is whichever plays on a Thursday night.
Sadly, the night has come to an end and you find yourself sat on the Last Bus home. Who are you plugging your headphones into?
Samuel - I'd listen to 'Everyone I Know (Marfa Demo)' by Grizzly Bear.