SYML releases new album 'The Day My Father Died'
SYML, DOWNLOAD HERE CREDIT SARAH CASS
INCLUDES THE SINGLES “CHARIOT”, “BELIEVER”, “LOST MYSELF” FEAT. GUY GARVEY,
“HOWLING” FEAT. LUCIUS, “BETTER PART OF ME" FEAT SARA WATKINS
+ UK HEADLINE TOUR IN APRIL
03.02.2023: Seattle musician SYML has today released his second album The Day My Father Died via Nettwerk. Earlier this week, SYML – aka singer/songwriter/producer Brian Fennell - dropped the beautiful video for current single “Believer”, which was filmed in Amsterdam by the British director Crusoe Weston. A devotional paean sung in SYML’s unique, reverent falsetto, “Believer” wasn’t in fact inspired by any celestial being but rather Fennell’s partner in life. “To be a believer in something is as pure as it gets,” he explains. “For me, it’s when I realized it was never a God or magical ghost, but my lover and how I fell at her feet.”
SYML also elaborates on the meaning behind “Corduroy”, the album’s poignant closing track. “My favorite outfit when I was very young was a pair of blue, corduroy overalls,” remembers Fennell. “Originally, I started writing The Day My Father Died about the tension I have felt about my relationship with faith. I don’t know if that’s because my dad was sick when I wrote most of these songs or not. Throughout the writing process, I realized that my tension was never rooted in the things that made me angry or cynical, it was simply in trying to understand myself and others. I think that's true for many people. This album turned into an exploration of that. And Corduroy felt like the perfect song to end the album since it feels like a return to the innocence of my youth; moving forward into the unknown with a sense of peace and outlook on the world without judgement. Beautifully, I think this is also the spirit my dad held onto in his last days.”
SYML - who is one of the guest artists on the forthcoming Lana Del Rey album Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (out March 10) - is currently in the UK for an in-store tour and will return in April when he undertakes a major headline European Tour, taking in several UK shows including London’s KOKO on April 19th.
For the new album Fennell enlisted the skills of renowned indie producer and fellow Seattle native Phil Ek (Fleet Foxes, Built to Spill, Band of Horses), recording in studios – including a former church – around Seattle.
Fittingly, SYML’s music has a sacred quality, with themes that tap into the instincts that drive us to places of sanctuary, whether that be a place or person. With over 11 million monthly listeners on Spotify and well over a billion streams in total, these themes are resonating all over the world and particularly in the UK, one of his biggest territories for listeners.
The Day My Father Died finds Fennell telling a story of interpersonal connection and chosen kinship following the death of his adoptive father in 2021. More a document of growth and healing than of loss, the album charts Fennell’s journey to figure out how to move forward after a fundamental and intractable shift in his life. The album features contributions from Elbow’s Guy Garvey ("Lost Myself"), Lucius ("Howling"), and Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek (“Better Part of Me”) and Charlotte Lawrence (“You And I”).
Born and raised in Seattle, Fennell studied piano and became a self-taught producer, programmer, and guitarist. He released his self-titled debut album in 2019, which included the platinum-selling song “Where’s My Love,” followed by the grief-stricken EP DIM released in 2021. His music has been featured in countless movies, TV series and ad campaigns including Netflix’s original series “Behind Her Eyes,” which featured his version of “Mr. Sandman” as the title track.
UK IN-STORE TOUR (REMAINING DATES)
February 3 Banquet Records, Kingston
February 4 Jacaranda, Liverpool
February 5 Assai, Edinburgh
EUROPEAN TOUR 2023
March 9 Amsterdam, Paradiso
March 10 Cologne, Burgerhaus Stollwerck
March 11 Antwerp, De Roma
March 13 Milan, Circolo Magnolia
March 14 Zurich, Kaufleuten Festaal
March 15 Munich , Ampere
March 17 Vienna, Porgy & Bess
March 18 Warsaw, Praga Centrum
March 19 Berlin, Heimathafen
March 20 Hamburg, Uebel & Gefaehrlich
April 15 Madrid, Independence Cluyb
April 16 Barcelona, Razzmatazz Room 2
April 18 Paris, Le Trabendo
April 19 London, KOKO
April 20 Bristol, Thekla
April 22 Manchester, Manchester Academy 3
April 23 Glasgow, King Tut’s
April 25 Dublin, The National Concert Hall
Tickets from https://symlmusic.com/
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