sym fera – an intimate conversation with nick simmons
Ralph Beauchamp
Image credit: Francis Bean Cobain
stars simfera has just released a new single titled “Mob” and also announced a new EP, ghoul machinewhich will drop on 10/25. We last spoke to the cheeky duo in March last year. then, simferaHis true identity remains shrouded in mystery. They want their music to speak for itself. The two finally emerged from the darkness. simfera Composed of Nick Simmons (son of famous Kiss member Gene Simmons) and Vinnie Ferrar.
Vinnie Fera is a composer, musician, producer, music director and tour director. He and business partner Johnny Stiegler own and operate The Beehive, a Los Angeles-based touring and management group that directs, designs and manages performances including Halsy, Lizzy McAlpine, Eden, Gracie Abrams, Madison Beer, Remi Wolf, Blackbear The artist’s entire touring team.
The two had always planned to unveil themselves at the right time. They don’t want their notoriety to affect how people view their music. simfera‘s sound is a true testament to their sublime songwriting, capturing rich textures and exotic sounds with ease. Their tracks are mystical in nature, with dazzling orchestrations and addictive riffs. Listen to the new single “Mob”. Dark soundscapes complement lush vocals, with exquisite musical elements that are both shimmering and eerily layered. “The Mob” is electric and full of emotional depth. all simfera‘s songs are of high quality while still resonating with listeners.
Nick Simmons sat down with AMP again for this intimate chat.
AMP: We last spoke in March of this year, when your identity was still being kept secret. Why expose yourself now?
gap: I think in order for a secret to be hidden, someone first has to want to know the secret. We were really just invisible, like any small band starting out, and I think that suited us well. Vinnie and I both connect with people who get a lot of attention, but it seems counterintuitive that Vinnie and I are both a little shy and tired of attention-seeking culture.
But we still want to make stuff and put it out there to suit our own needs, which requires seeking some attention, so we’re hypocrites. We just tried not to mention it and not show up, and slowly, I think the people we were talking to about it were kind of treating the secrecy as a gimmick, so we leaned into it a little bit. But we’re not trying to be “mysterious”, we just want to focus on the songs and not our big stupid faces.
AMP: Your new EP ghoul machine Drops on October 25th. Can you tell us about this version?
gap: We’ve been releasing singles for it this year, and we’ve been talking about how happy we are with how the first EP is going, so there’s always a sense of being up in the air and maybe “coming out” is something we feel comfortable with now. We were really pleasantly surprised by the response to the first EP and I think we’re not so shy now. I think I’ll miss the feeling of anonymity, although it’s hard to get these things out effectively without a personality or face. The new EP marks a new beginning.
AMP: What is it about your music that makes you feel passionate?
gap: We just wanted to make something that we would listen to and save if we heard it “inverted” – you know, on Spotify or a streaming service, you can listen to something on purpose and the algorithm will You bring in other things it thinks you’ll like. It’s the modern equivalent of blindly browsing a record store and choosing something based on the artwork or someone’s recommendation.
I found some of my favorite artists this way—Ry X, Julia Jacklin, Half Moon Run, Moses Sumney, Pale Jay. Algorithms have brought a lot of harm to the world and a lot of good, but this spirit of discovery is definitely a good side. Finding an artist this way feels like finding a buried treasure, and I love that feeling.
AMP: Do you feel like your family’s reputation and Fera’s music business acumen give you an advantage in the current music scene?
gap: I think my whole life has given me an advantage, and even if we did start anonymously, that’s not something I could control. Just having the time to pursue a career in art is a huge privilege and blessing, not to mention all the other advantages I was born into. I think it’s ridiculous to try to downplay or deny that and claim that I pulled myself up by my bootstraps or whatever.
Jack Quaid did an interview about this recently and he basically just said that he worked very hard to get the advantage by default and I think he was aiming for the right thing. Yes, I’m very lucky to have Vinnie as my partner and he has a lot of resources at his disposal. I learned a lot from him, but he still eludes me. He is a wizard in the studio.
AMP: What is your creative process like?
gap: We recorded the last song together, but we wrote the demo as if we were living in different countries. We send each other little voice memos or production sessions over email and Dropbox, and go back and forth until the idea becomes a full demo, and then we take it into Vinnie’s studio and make it shine. But until the final stage, we are alone.
AMP: How would you describe the band’s intrinsic energy?
gap: Probably anti-social. Like I said, we wrote a lot without ever meeting, and when we finally met, it was like a reunion. Completely contrary to the way the band had written songs in the past, it was an inherently interconnected activity. I think it has to do with what we wrote. We’re both pretty dark, cynical motherfuckers, and we write a lot of sad motherfucker music, and the ideas and lyrics are very personal. But we are generally not sad people. Catharsis is a positive experience, so all the more so. Spitting out the black goo will make you feel refreshed afterwards.
AMP: What do you think is unique about sym fera?
gap: I don’t think there’s anything new under the sun, and we definitely wear all our influences on our sleeves. I just hope it makes people feel something and sustains itself, that’s all. Anything beyond that is really orthogonal to the point.
AMP: How important is an artist’s social media profile in today’s music market?
gap: Unfortunately, that’s the bottom line. We’re terrible at this. We are deliberately bad at this.
AMP: Your official photo shoot was done by Frances Bean Cobain, Kurt Cobain’s daughter. How did this happen?
gap: This happens because Frances is a very good photographer, and those who follow her already know this. She’s very genuine, raw, and real. She had been photographing her friends and generally interesting people in preparation for a project of her own (which I don’t know if I can talk about) and I was lucky enough that she wanted me to be one of the subjects and she allowed me Using some of them in my project.
She also photographed us when she was very, very pregnant, which was amazing. She’s kind of unstoppable. She’s younger than me, but I look up to her in so many ways and have for as long as I’ve known her. Frances navigates a very strange, hostile world of show business with more grace and authenticity than many people I have or I know who have been in similar positions. She really doesn’t care what people expect of her, or what they think of her. She pursues her interests, does things she thinks are fun, and never apologizes. I wish I had as strong a sense of self as she does. I’m working on it.
AMP: Are there any plans to tour the new EP?
gap: Absolutely. But that’s TBD.
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