Get To Know : FEZ
Lewis and Ed joined after meeting the others outside gigs. What was it about those first conversations that made you feel like you wanted to make music together?
Lewis - it sounded sick! And that was it for me. We’d seen them both play and had been blown away by their respective chops at their instruments. Ed also provides superb support services as a Dungeon Master for band D&D sessions.
Ed - I met Mischa at a gig and we got chatting about the bands vision in the smoking area. After trying out for one rehearsal and meet a group of talented and like minded musicians I was hooked.
You’ve talked about how Zak, Rollo and Mischa eventually quit their jobs to focus on FEZ full-time. How did that moment feel for each of you, and was there a point where you realised, “okay, this might actually work”?
Was definitely a big step at the time - Zak was especially gutted to miss out on his career as a natural tampon salesman in Spain. Though since returning to London the harsh reality of life in the big smoke means we’ve all had to return to the embrace of the 9-5!
You often describe your sound as a mix of psychedelia and prog with a modern twist. How do you keep those vintage influences while still bringing your own style into it?
I guess it depends on how you would classify those genres. We like to think that while they have solid definitions now, back in their heyday the simple explanation would have been to make songs that take you on a journey while pushing the limits of what you expect. I think that’s our compass more than anything. We’ve also been experimenting with throwing electronic influences into lots of things recently too.
“Repetition” touches on the idea of finding comfort in life’s insignificance. Has that mindset shaped more than just the song and does it reflect a wider feel of your upcoming album too?
The EP we released a short while after covid/lockdown has a few that capture some of our frustration and feelings of lack of control during that period (The Eulogy especially comes to mind). Some of the heavier tracks on the new album touch on similar themes, but we try not to focus too much on a single feeling, especially in the next release. We’re definitely not that nihilistic in everyday life and hit some cheerier notes!
You tracked parts of “Repetition” in Bristol, Devon and Wales. Did being in those different environments change how the songs developed or how you performed them?
They definitely affected the music through the people we worked with! Devon was a studio run by Matt & Lucy from the band Pale Blue Eyes, who were lovely enough to let us test out their (new at the time) setup. We’ve definitely got fond memories of Joe Jones in Bristol pushing us to try out weirder sounds. And Bristol was the first time we were fully on our own, which was equally chaotic and rewarding as you’d expect.
Lewis has spoken about how “Black Dogs” deals with mental health and frustration with how it’s often treated. What do you hope listeners take from it?
Probably important to say first that this is obviously a personal topic, and we’re definitely not trying to give professional advice. I think it’s more to say that sometimes a one-size-fits-all solution is the easiest thing to offer, but maybe not the most useful thing at the individual level.
How do you approach writing lyrics that are personal or socially reflective without being too vulnerable?
Rollo - Really the only way to write lyrics that have any meaning is to be vulnerable. I personally find it easy to access that vulnerability in my own space during the writing process. The hardest part comes when I have to show the band for the first time - they’re my closest friends and letting people into that meaning without the help of a fully fleshed out song to hide behind is often uncomfortable and exposing. By the time we’re performing or releasing songs to the public we’ve normalised them and feel confident enough in the final product that there are no issues of vulnerability.
For each of you: what’s one moment that made you think, “yeah, this is why we’re doing this”?
Lewis - for me it was looking out at the crowd at Mallorca live this year, big stage, big FEZ letters behind us, playing music we’d all helped to write in a different country. Hell yeah
Mischa - watching a fan do a shot of “Da Bomb” hot sauce after a gig and barely flinch. Generational spice tolerance right there.
Ed - Playing In front of a crowd for the first time where I knew they were there to see us.
Zak - When a Spanish fan congratulated my drumming ability, but warned that my attempts to speak their language were “brave” (sarcastic finger quotes intended). Clearly my 5 years studying Spanish at university could've been better spent behind the kit.
Rollo - Having a team come together around new music in preparation for new music next year