The Fauns

Whether they're resurrecting shoegaze or crafting hypnotic electronic collages, the Fauns are experts at creating enveloping atmospheres. The crushing and swooning guitars that surrounded Alison Garner's gauzy vocals on their self-titled 2009 debut album revealed that they were reverent students of My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive, but the electronics and sampling that embellished 2013's Lights indicated the band's ambition was greater than mere revivalism. The Fauns fulfilled those aims with 2024's How Lost, delivering fusions of dream pop, industrial, and disco with a cinematic richness. The Fauns began in the mid-2000s as the project of Bristol, England-based multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Michael Savage, who was inspired to mix the sound of classic shoegaze from the late 1980s and early '90s, the film soundtracks he had loved since childhood, and a dose of pop hooks. He soon brought drummer Tom Adams into the project, and the pair spent time recording at the studio of Portishead's Geoff Barrow. Eventually, the Fauns' lineup grew to include keyboardist Matthew O'Connor, guitarists Lee Woods and Elliot Guise, and singer Alison Garner, a classically trained vocalist who adopted a delicate, breathy style to match the music. The band spent a year and a half recording their debut album in bedroom studios. Released in August 2009 on Savage's Laser Ghost label, The Fauns earned praise for its confident update of shoegaze, and sold over 5,000 copies through word of mouth. Two of Fauns' fans were 6Music DJ Steve Lamacq, who championed the band on his show, and composer Clint Mansell, who remixed the song "Fragile" on a limited-edition 2013 Record Store Day single. After signing to Invada, the Fauns started work on their second album with producers Jim Barr and Tim Allen. Appearing in December 2013, Lights was a more collaborative effort that emphasized the electronic and atmospheric elements of the band's sound. The Fauns supported the album with shows that included early 2014 dates with Alcest. Later that year, Invada reissued The Fauns. In 2015, a remix of the Lights track "4am" appeared on Powerglove's EP II, but the Fauns were silent for the rest of the decade. By the time the band started work on new music in 2017, the lineup consisted of Savage, Garner, and drummer Guy Rhys Davies. With the addition of Will Slater -- a composer known for his work on the David Attenborough nature documentary series Dynasties -- on guitar in 2019, the Fauns were writing and recording in earnest, putting dance beats and synths at the forefront of their music. Late in 2023, they played their first show in eight years and issued the singles "Mixtape Days" and "How Lost," the title track of their third album. Released by Invada in January 2024, How Lost incorporated disco, industrial, and ambient influences into its moody shoegaze and post-rock foundations.
© Heather Phares /TiVo