Montreal, Canada's standout five-piece band Fer Sher have just released a three song EP entitled "Step Siblings" listen and get to know the band in this review and subsequent interview.
Beginning with a beautiful descending noodley guitar riff, warm female vocals come in varying in pitch and volume, alongside angular guitar lines then, stop-start drumming and chordal guitar strumming make way for more noodling and a brief tangent showcasing the bands experimental side. The second half of this song is surely influenced by post rock. in conclusion Fer Sher takes another dive into the tumultuous style of math rock to end things.
"Fork" shows a slow beginning complete with emotionally engaging lyrics. The singer "Ali O" doesn't sound like she's trying to copy anyone, she has a very unique and moody style that I dub; emo jazz lounge. The second half of this song is the danciest emo jazz ever. With a disco drum beat things take a turn for the best as this section of the song can make anyone move.
During "Locked Drawers" A quiet twinkly guitar line noodles its way up to the window like a vine on the side of a house. Exploding into a bright twinkle attack the guitar riff suddenly changes. Ali O's vocals burst out like a siren singing while exuding pure bliss. A quick spoken word part where she begs "tell me what it's like" you can really hear vulnerability in her voice. Sludgey twinkly post rock follows and brings this song to an end. This song and album runs the gamut from emo to math rock to post rock with a few surprises in between.
Interview
1. When and how did your band form?
Fer Sher formed over the course of several years with the contributions of many musicians
beyond the band’s current lineup. As time carried on, the revolving door slowed down as we
began to notice common objectives and how we could each contribute towards them.
It all started when our friend Aaron from Quaaludes expressed an interest in writing music with
Yamin, who was so starstruck he couldn't refuse. Shortly thereafter Jeremy was recruited and
the three wrote songs that pushed them to navigate expectations, negotiations, and cohesion
through a lens of intense attention to detail.
Aaron and Jeremy amicably departed in 2018 and 2019, respectively, but not before
establishing the conceptual foundations of what is now known as Fer Sher. Benji approached
Yamin to join and came packaged with his brother, Oscar in late 2018. Ali Overing joined in
early 2019 having earned herself a reputation as a tremendous multi-disciplinary artist and
showstopping entertainer from her co-heading of The Leanover, and Chris joined in the summer
of 2019, having participated in the ever-influential group Quaaludes playing alongside Aaron.
Chris' arrival solidified the otherwise revolving door of cast and thus created a full circle of
collaboration.
2. What influences your music?
Musically we are inspired by an eclectic array - math-rock, top-40 pop, folk, pop-punk, djent
metal, classic hardcore, klezmer, ambient, big band, swing, and emo. We are also influenced by
the role music has played in our daily lives and the desire to create content that might somehow
affect others the way we have been affected so enormously.
3. Who are your favorite bands?
(We forced ourselves to pick one single favorite from a much larger list)
Ali: (Sandy) Alex G
Chris: Counterparts
Benji: Young Guv
Oscar: Mil-Spec
Yamin: Self-evident
4. Why do you make music
A cosmic curiosity towards exploration, yearning for connection, a need to express artistically,
a love for creation, artistic masochism, the joy and life-affirming qualities of art, acknowledging
and celebrating the inner child, and plain-ol' heckin fun
5. Where do you see your band in 5 years?
Single handedly being (held) responsible for the revitalization of MySpace.
