Ferris & Sylvester have been in peak form in recent months, with new songs such as ‘Dark Side’ and ‘Mother,’ earning a wealth of critical acclaim, while their current UK tour has inspired stirring audience reactions in sold-out venues across the land.
Today, the husband-and-wife duo, Issy Ferris and Archie Sylvester, achieve a fresh landmark moment as they release their second album, ‘Otherness’. Its release is accompanied by a new live video of ‘Love Is Real’.
Watch the video for ‘Love Is Real’ BELOW:
As we’ve heard from their recent singles, ‘Otherness’ is an enchanting and immersive listening experience. Their songs dart across genres – folk, Americana, psychedelia, indie-rock, blues and soul – yet the sheer strength of their songwriting unites them. Their luscious vocal harmonies tell stories of battling insurmountable odds, striving to achieve something more, and feeling like an outsider, while the music is as exemplarily performed as it is emotionally affecting. After their debut album ‘Superhuman’ hit #1 on the Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart and won UK Album of the Year at the 2023 UK Americana Awards, who knows where ‘Otherness’ could take them?
Issy says, “This album is for anyone who feels like an outsider. ‘Otherness’ is defined as being or feeling different in appearance or character from what is familiar, expected, or generally accepted. Ironically, this feeling of otherness is one we all share and experience, orbiting on our own planets.”
If you’re yet to be enamoured by Ferris & Sylvester, let the new live performance of ‘Love Is Real’ beckon you into their world. It’s a song of cinematic, elegant romance that feels so instantly timeless it’s almost a mystery how it didn’t exist before. It’s also given another touch of class, with the four-piece band augmented by a string section. It represents the latest visual in a series of live performances captured at Real World Studios.
Archie adds, “‘We can’t believe that after two of years of starting this record, it is finally out in the world. Our lives have completely changed since that first day in our studio. We have toured all over the place, we set up a record label, we became parents, and with that we learnt what it is to nearly lose everything. This album is for anyone who feels like they’re on the outside looking in. It is an album about self-discovery, love and loss. We hope this record can be an ally and a friend.”
While numerous songs have preceded ‘Otherness’, the album also provides plenty of essential new material for fans to delve into, from the fiery funk, blues and classic rock attack of ‘Out Of It’ to the delightfully delicate title track via arguably the most beautifully intertwined vocals of the set on the midpoint highlight ‘Paper Plane’.
Although ‘Otherness’ has a natural, unhurried ambience, it is actually the product of a tough time for the couple. As their North American tour in support of their debut album came to a close, Issy was diagnosed with preeclampsia leading to their son being born six-and-a-half weeks prematurely in Nashville. He spent three weeks in intensive care and another month in hospital before the family could head home. That experience inspired them to write songs that could offer hope to others: that no matter what challenges you face, there’s always hope. And that is the essence of ‘Otherness’.
Ferris & Sylvester’s current headline tour continues today with a celebratory night at London’s Lafayette before concluding with their first shows in Germany – limited tickets remain available HERE. Their touring plans for the rest of the year are taking shape, with the Black Deer Festival and shows as special guests to Tide Lines and Barenaked Ladies already confirmed.
MARCH
1st – London, Lafayette
6th – St. Albans, The Horn
7th – Dover, The Booking Hall
8th – Golant, Bar Silo Cornwall
9th – Falmouth, The Cornish Bank
11th – Glasgow, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut
12th – Edinburgh, The Mash House
13th – Dublin, The Grand Social
18th – Cologne, Blue Shell
19th – Hamburg, Nochtwache
21st – Berlin, Prachtwerk
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