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sym fera is an anonymous, genre-bending alternative electronic rock duo. Their first EP was released under State of The Art Records, helmed by Ian McEvily, Marc Jordan, andMike Clemenza, who themselves did not know the real names of the band members before they made an offer to sign them.
The band was immediately heavily synced on television, appearing prominently in the season finale of the hit Netflix show Ozark, as well as the Foxnotables, The Resident, and Prodigal Son. Fans of these shows flocked to streaming services and online, trying to find out more (to no avail) as the band continued to release cryptic, cinematic music videos and shadowy live performances that showcased a unique and dramatic artist project, drawing comparisons to Pink Floyd, James Blake, and Bon Iver.
Now, sym fera has returned with their latest single, BEG, an electronic rock delve into the foreboding world of hookup culture, delving into the psychology of a single encounter and intimacy with a stranger.
Indira Cesarine: Can you share the inspiration behind your decision to keep your identities hidden and how it has influenced your music?
sym fera: My partner and I noticed that whenever we showed our stuff to someone, there was a digital version of us that was already sitting there before we ever walked through the door. That is to say, it felt like everyone already had an idea about who we were before we ever got a chance to speak; everyone has a digital footprint, whether big or small, whether they’re an artist or in some other industry. We started to see how that impacted meetings and friendships and everything in between, and we both started fantasizing about how nice it would feel if someone had no choice but to listen to the stuff we worked on with no context — no preconceived notions about what they expected of us. We likened it to watching a movie without ever seeing the trailer or reading a review, or knowing anything about the actors’ personal lives going into the theater. Whenever I’ve done that, it’s just a much better experience — probably much more akin to what the filmmakers would want. We wanted that, too.
We all thought letting everyone talk at once in one giant hivemind would cause the best ideas to rise to the top through a darwinian, free market process, but it turns out the ideas that survive collision with other ideas are not necessarily the best ones, or the right ones, but the ones that spread easiest like an infectious disease. And those ideas, it turns out, are examples of human nature at its worst, its most capricious, its most animalistic and tribal and inflammatory. So, now we’re at a crossroads, because the only options we have in this world are conversations or conflict. And there’s no unringing that bell - the worldwide digital brain is here to stay, and we are all its neurons, and it is showing signs of mental illness.
Having crept onto the scene with the release of their acclaimed 2019 debut “Darkness Visible,” Sym Fera remains one of the most intriguing and exciting up-and-comers in the industry today.
The Los Angeles-based duo have cultivated an air of mystique around their music and identities, captivating their audiences with a signature sound described as “atmospheric electronic rock music.” As they drop standout release after release, their spotlight grows brighter and brighter, even if their identities remain concealed.
Member 1: Jim James is more known for his work with his band My Morning Jacket than his solo stuff, and I’m a huge fan of that band. But this one album he released on his own, “Eternally Even,” is just special, even compared to his other solo stuff. He (and producer Blake Mills deserves to be named here) stumbled upon this totally original sound that, to my ear, he hasn’t come back to before or since.
The two men of anonymous, atmospheric, electronic rock project sym fera told us about their respective love for Jim James and Radiohead gems.
In the realm of musical secrecy, the Los Angeles-based duo known as sym fear remains veiled in mystique, with their identities still concealed. Recently, sym fera unleashed their newest remix package for their popular single ’11/8′
In the realm of musical secrecy, the Los Angeles-based duo known as sym fera remains veiled in mystique, with their identities still concealed. Their mysterious nature and captivating melodies have intrigued listeners.
There aren’t too many mysteries in the current music scene. Bands are over scrutinized and are constantly bearing all on social media platforms. L.A. based sym fera defies the norm. The esoteric duo have yet to reveal their true identities. In addition,their sound is singular. sym fera delivers elements of atmospheric electronica coupled with airy blues riffs and ethereal vocals. Their music is full of dreamy textures that create a menacing yet beautifully hyponic soundscape. They have revisited their huge 2021 hit “11/8” with an organic remix that is brazenly cinematic. sym fera‘s music is highly emotive and lush with a dramatic edge.
Despite remaining anonymous since the duo’s inception, sym fera’s aura has transcended the boundaries of the studio, capturing the intrigue of a dedicated fanbase and garnering critical acclaim. All whilst shrouded in secrecy and delivering compositions of atmospheric electronic rock music.
The duo’s most popular single, “11/8”, has gathered significant traction, standing as a thought-provoking exploration of the intricate ways in which social media distorts our minds, cultures, a concept that resonates deeply in the digital age. The song also featured in hit show, Ozark, further adding to the group’s burgeoning cult status. Now the, duo reimagine, remould and reinivograte the standout single delivering an enigmatic set of remixes.
Sym Fera Talk Roger Waters and Bon Iver: L.A. duo sym fera (whose identities are kept under wraps) told us about their Roger Waters and Bon Iver experiences.
Vocalist: Off the top of my head, Roger Waters‘ concert at Desert Trip in Palm Springs in 2016 really stands out. The rest of the bill: The Stones, Paul McCartney, The Who, Bob Dylan, and Neil Young. Even if Pink Floyd had resurrected with all original members in their prime, they weren’t in my top four artists on this bill alone. You can imagine I wasn’t necessarily expecting a dark horse. McCartney was McCartney, perfect pitch and all. The Stones were everything you wanted the Stones to be. But Waters’ show, as a pure visual spectacle, was just so different, so dramatic and unique, it’s hard to call it a concert at all. It was more like an immersive film with a live score.
Overexposure and oversharing have been accepted as default settings in the modern era, so any glimmer of cryptic mystery are welcome anomalies. Sym Fera are a new duo that reside in Los Angeles and…. well, that’s about all anyone knows so far. Their social media platforms extol moody aesthetics over identity — think lots of shadows — as the pair recently released their second single “Little Things” after last year’s intriguing opening shot “Darkness Visible” earned justifiable comparisons to James Blake and peak-downer Thom Yorke.
On “Little Things,” one of the year’s best slow burns, the duo inadvertently soundtrack the climax to every drama, crime film or action chase scene, pairing gradual yet heavy piano melodies with Jeff Buckley-conjuring vocals. In the accompanying cryptic clip, the duo juxtapose slow pans on black-and-white frames with quick, frenetic edits. A little girl’s eye contains a single tear. A nervous man points a gun. A man straightens his cufflinks. It’s the love child of Ken Burns and Quentin Tarantino that deftly augments the visceral track.
LA-based duo sym fera is clearly less interested in identity than they are the general human condition—and the societal norms that are rapidly changing that condition. Founded as a means of “navigating the problem of other minds,” the anonymous pop duo construct songs that reflect Black Mirror’s examination of technology-ravaged humanity, with previous single “11/8” specifically contemplating how social media warps our minds.
The project’s latest track shares the theme of Instagram perfectionism as its quivering lyrics recount the all-too-familiar sensation of an unrealistic idea of happiness constantly being fed to us (it also shares the name of a mirage). “‘fata morgana’ is about the hedonic treadmill,” they share. “It's about the feeling of chasing an ideal of satisfaction without ever catching it, and how that concept applies to love, to consuming products, the hamster wheel, the scrolling of timelines, the meeting of goals. Lighthearted, fun stuff like that.”
The Los Angeles-based sym fera are a duo that makes atmospheric electronic rock music with a mysterious bent befitting their secretive nature.
That's because no one knows who's in the band.
The secrecy makes the act's downtempo anthem "11/8," presented in a cinematic music video symbolically released on Nov. 8, all the more intriguing.
Listen to the song and see the haunting, Jakub Blank-directed video down toward the bottom of this post.
The eerie clip gives no clue as to the duo's identity. And the group has only shared shadowy live photos of themselves online. Last year, they premiered another single, "Little Things," with Rolling Stone. Beyond that, little about sym fera is known.
It’s a curious conundrum that a song can occupy opposing spaces, but sym fera’s third single is absolutely haunting and gentle all at once. Released (as its name suggests) on 11/8, the impassioned “11/8” is an urgent, seductive, and emotionally intense affair full of feverish paranoia and restlessness. The song follows the group’s 2020 sophomore single “little things,” which I (at the time) described as both sonically stirring and philosophically stimulating: “Smoldering vocals, haunting pianos, and fervent guitars weave a gorgeously intimate, slow-burn experience that’s part Leif Vollebekk, part Hozier, and all passion.“