Interview: The Faim bridge authenticity and talent as they head into a massive 2019

Fate seems to be playing a huge role in the rise of The Faim. Seemingly overnight the band has blown up into this massive global touring phenomenon. From already sold out 2019 shows in Germany and Australia to 300,000+ monthly listeners on Spotify and millions of streams on their Summer Is A Curse EP. Having worked with John Feldmann after graciously sending a lengthy email and since having written with musical heavyweights like Pete Wentz and Joshua Dun, The Faim are heading towards a big year in 2019.

The four-piece band is currently out traveling across the U.S. with Hands Like Houses, Emarosa, Devour The Day, and Arlington. We caught up with bassist/keyboardist, Stephen Beerkens at the New York City show to talk about the bands upcoming plans, EP, and their writing process.

Summer Is A Curse is the world’s first introduction to The Faim’s eclectic and unique powerhouse sound. Deriving influence early on from everything under the sun like ABBA, Frank Sinatra, Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco, and even…Slipknot, The Faim aren’t afraid to make a statement on each song even if that means putting together an unbelievably diverse group of songs that defy genre barriers. “Those songs on this EP are the six songs that we think most represent us as a band. When you hear those songs it’s quite diverse and not one song sounds the same to another which is what we’re all about as a band. We don’t like getting held by different areas of inspiration because we have grown up listening to such a broad range of music. Slipknot to Abba to Frank Sinatra to the classic Fall Out Boy and Panic! So a bit of everything and we’re able to combine all of our influences in to our music because that is what makes us who we are.”

That personality and self-expression has translated effortlessly to their live show. Their explosive set in New York City was mesmerizing. It’s hard to believe the band has only been touring since April. Granted a majority of those in the room probably had not listened to The Faim before and have not seen them live, but they were just as involved and engaged as if they had. Frontman Josh Raven’s almost theatrical, but velvety vocals and the band’s collective vivacious stage presence brought their EP to life in an impeccable way. The band has had their fair share of assorted crowds from playing with bands as diverse as Lower Than Atlantis, Against The Current, and Pavements. Just as thoughtful as their songwriting, Stephen expressed that The Faim pin a lot of importance on understanding their audience and delivering. “Each crowd is a different challenge. You sort of have to gauge where the crowd is at, what they like to get involved with and what they want to see on stage. You sort of need to adapt to that crowd. If you’re playing like you are to a crowd that’s more interested in pop music you’re not going to get the same response to a heavier crowd. With Hands Like Houses it’s like the people are slightly older as well [compared] to the tour we just got off of. It’s nice knowing who’s watching you and what’s going to engage them. Taking all of that in to account and we do that for every show to give the people the show they want to see.”

On and off the stage their enjoying their time on this tour. Traveling around with the four other bands on the bill has produced new friendships and a mutual support system for The Faim. “This tour has been so much. It has been awesome. It’s always great especially when it’s a huge five band bill. It’s great to have every band on it full of great dudes. It’s lots of fun there’s a lot of camaraderie between the bands. Being at the merch desk if it’s outside and you just listen to each band. It’s just awesome to have bands you jam away to every night. It’s a free show for like an entire month.”

The Faim has achieved a mountain of success in a relatively short amount of time. It may seem like it would start to burn out fairly quickly, but their wave is continuing. The band is already accumulating sold out shows and venue upgrades for their 2019 headlining tour. Specifically in their home country of Australia and even as far away as Germany. The excitement on Stephen’s face was visible as we talked about the upcoming shows. “We’re very privileged to have our first ever headlining tour next year. It starts in Australia and then the UK and Europe. That’s may be like the fourth venue we’ve had to upgrade. The Melbourne show sold out and we just announced the upgrade for Brisbane. We’ve been lucky enough to sell out a 500 capacity venue in Colon, Germany of all places. We just love going to Germany and we’re just stoked that there are people there that are in to our music. It’s very bewildering to see those numbers come in when our manager sends us the email. You just have to pinch yourself sometimes to know we have never even done our own tour and we’re selling out shows. It’s very special.”

With a massive 2018 under their belt, the band has incorporated their new experiences into their latest writing session in LA. As they continue to expand on the global touring landscape, The Faim are taking their live show in to consideration when writing. “I definitely think since we have started touring we have been taking in to account what these songs are going to sound like and how they are going to translate in to the live perspective. Instead of just…. last year when we were writing before we started touring we were writing songs and that was it. Now we’re writing songs to create something bigger than the song itself. We’re trying to create something which in a performance will go off. Something that will mean more to the people than just the words on the page. We’re definitely thinking more outside the song itself with this next batch of writing.”

As musicians they have decided to approached their songs “stripped back” while writing and proving it can standalone before the full parade of production elements. A clear recipe for success that has helped them balance out both sides of the musical equation. A surge of authenticity and sheer talent has allowed The Faim and their team to bring the vision to life. All of their hard work has paid off in terms of the backend data, but the true evidence comes from their loyal and ever-growing fanbase. Catch on to The Faim before their full length is released and they blow up into the forefront of music.