Fear of Men just released their second full-length album, Fall Forever, via Kanine Records, revealing an even deeper exploration into the dreamy electronic sound they cultivated in their first album, Loom. We’re so excited that the band has shared with us a wide-ranging collection of songs that inspired their new album, from the sad, euphoric melodies of Lykke Li to the refined noise of My Bloody Valentine. Fear of Men will be playing Bowery Ballroom on July 2nd with opener, Puro Instinct, and it’s not to be missed!
Playlist
Lykke Li – “Gunshot”
There is such a sad euphoria about this that really moves me. I’ve listened to it hundreds of times, it particularly remindes me of being on planes when I was on my own touring with the Pains of Being Pure at Heart and taking lots of internal flights between shows in Norway in tiny planes. I’m pretty afraid of flying, but the way I deal with it is to listen to something exquisite and give in to the possibility of crashing so much that it feels inevitable and I’ve accepted it. I recorded lots of little demos during that time, some of which grew into Fall Forever. – Jess
Dean Blunt – “The Pedigree”
Dean Blunt is a genius. He is an incredibly creative artist and you can never predict his next move. He’ll pair genres of music together, textures and samples in ways most people would never have thought about doing and that’s very inspiring. – Daniel
Broadcast – “Corporeal”
Just the most heart wrenching, genius band… The themes of feeling dislocated from your physical form really resonate with me here, it’s something I think and write about a lot. Trish’s understated style of emotion is also something that I love. There’s a precision in her diction that offsets the more abstract, surreal lyrics really beautifully. – Jess
The United States of America – “The Garden of Earthly Delights”
I find it astonishing that this song and the album it is on are from 1968, it still sounds so fresh to me. They were way ahead of their time in incorporating electronics into pop music. Some of the ways they used things like ring modulators were very pioneering and sound incredible. – Daniel
Deerhunter – “Agoraphobia”
All of us in the band love this song, it’s a beautiful pop melody with really quite disturbing lyrics – a perfect combination. – Daniel
Joy Division – “She’s Lost Control”
The tightly wound tension in this song, the story that’s communicated through so few words, how something can be so chilling and still broadly a pop song… The idea of losing control is terror, and it can happen to any of us. – Jess
Nelly Furtado – “Say it Right”
I’ve been obsessed with this song ever since it came out. It’s nearly a perfect pop song for me in terms of the melody and arrangement, very lean and economical. – Daniel
My Bloody Valentine – “When You Sleep”
The way Kevin Shields explores force and strength with a guitar but avoids it sounding macho and aggressive is very inspiring to me. I really like the fluid muscularity of his guitar work. – Daniel
Rites of Spring – “All There Is”
I love the desperation of this song, it has such a visceral vitality. The lyrics are great too. – Daniel
Grouper – “Heavy Water/ I’d Rather be Sleeping”
I got absolutely obsessed with this song when I first heard it, I couldn’t stop playing it. I discovered the album by accident because I thought the cover was interesting, I hadn’t heard it at all before. I’m so pleased I took that chance because Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill is one of my all-time favorite albums. I introduced it to Jess and Mike, and they fell in love with it just like I did. – Daniel
Perfume Genius – “All Waters”
Mike Hadreas has such a wonderful lightness of touch. I love how this song gradually swells and peaks, it’s beautiful. – Daniel