Building upon a shared love for music, storytelling and exploring the human experience through art’s different mediums, Sydney indie group FVNERAL make their debut with ‘GOD DAMN LEDS’.
The first single from the seven-piece collective lands with instant emotional impact and it’s no surprise when discovering the sonic body of work the members have already helped produce.
Having already spent years writing and producing with Australian favourites including Birds Of Tokyo, Middle Kids and Stand Atlantic, and collaborating on creative projects with international powerhouses such as Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, The Struts, Neck Deep and many, more FVNERAL’s debut offering is a strong and confident step forward into a spotlight all their own.
‘GOD DAMN LEDS’ is an expert blend of heartwarming and melancholic indie-folk sounds, and speaks to threads of optimism and hope that can keep us going, even in the hardest of times. The song sets a stunning scene within which FVNERAL’s forthcoming music will continue to thrive.
From the jump, listeners can be soothed by the vocal dynamics of vocalists Tim Blunt and Ally Turner. Their voices provide the beating heart of a song like ‘God Damn LEDs’, which at its core, is about finding safety and relief in the help of someone else.
“‘GOD DAMN LEDs” is speaking directly to someone who makes you feel seen, heard and important enough to stay alive. It describes the moment when you finally begin to lower your guard; letting this person take the emotional driver’s seat when you feel like it’s not safe for you to drive. It’s as desperate-making as it is cathartic to realise that someone else has taken the responsibility for your own wellbeing onto their shoulders. While it is an incredibly unfair and ultimately unsustainable expectation to put on someone, there is still something beautiful about feeling safe enough to let it happen, even if only for a fleeting moment.”
FVNERAL
The song itself was written in studios and bedrooms between Sydney and Los Angeles, before being mixed by Phan Sjarif (Middle Kids, Cry Club) and mastered by Darren Ziesing (RÜFÜS DU SOL, Flume). Though it wasn’t the first song FVNERAL wrote together, it has come to stand out as a strong example of the group’s core ethos and identity.
The video, a short film directed by FVNERAL member Jay Wennington, features actors Lauren Clark and Isla Wilson as a mother and daughter navigating heartbreak and grief. Focusing on the emotion of the track translates beautifully to the visuals, available below.
“The video begins just after sunrise as they leave the place they parked their van to sleep for the night. Just as the first chorus hits, they catch a glimpse of the ocean through the windshield where they first play on the beach before scattering someone’s ashes on the headland, presumably that of the mother’s partner and the daughter’s father.
We wanted this video to convey the warmth that comes with having such pure adoration for others, and the closeness that can be found in the darkest of moments.“
FVNERAL