We had the opportunity to interview The Faim at SOMA San Diego! "For The Faim, an album is not only about showing what you can do now, but what you want to do in the future. The Perth four-piece went into the making of State of Mind, the band's debut full-length, with the goal of expanding their range and getting out of their comfort zone. Over the course of two years, the musicians worked with numerous songwriters and producers to craft a collection of songs that showcase a vast range of styles and tones. "We wanted to the show the variety of skills between the four of us," says Stephen. "But we also want to write and record the music we want to hear. We asked ourselves, 'What is missing? What do we want to be hearing?' And then we decided, 'Why don't we just write that?'" "We wanted to stick true to our roots and where we came from, which is essentially just us being able to explore the passion and love we have for music," Josh adds. "But we also wanted to experiment and to have fun with the songs." The Faim (French for "the hunger") have been building to this moment since they performed their first show at Stephen's 18th birthday party, then known as Small Town Heroes. Josh and Stephen grew up together, playing together on various sports teams, and began writing music together after an assignment in Stephen's music class. Soon the musicians were penning their own songs, inspired by bands like Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco, and Metallica, and each brought in an array of musical influences, from indie rock to jazz to pop-punk. Sam and Linden, who met working at The Hen House Rehearsal Studios in Perth, rounded out the band's lineup after they changed their name to The Faim. For several years, The Faim hustled to build a following in Perth, regularly handing out flyers and posters outside Perth Arena and recording 30-second covers of their favorite tracks to post online. That motivation was important in the isolated community's small music scene, and the band was dedicated and willing to sacrifice everything to follow their dream. That hard work paid off when the band got the attention of producer John Feldmann in the summer of 2016. They noticed that Feldmann had posted a call on Instagram for unsigned bands with touring experience, and although The Faim had no real touring experience, they messaged him anyway. The producer wrote back a few weeks later and everything instantly went from zero to a hundred. The musicians brought 30 half-written ideas to Feldmann's studio in Los Angeles the following year, where they enlisted the help of several co-writers, including Pete Wentz (Fall Out Boy), Mark Hoppus (Blink 182), Josh Dun (Twenty One Pilots) and Ashton Irwin (5 Seconds of Summer). Their debut EP, Summer Is a Curse, dropped in the fall of 2018, hinting at the potential for a full-length album. The title track, "Summer Is A Curse," an anthemic song the band wrote with Irwin about realizing that you have to follow your dreams even if it requires a sacrifice, became an immediate hit, with over 15 million streams worldwide to date. The songs on State of Mind encapsulate nearly four years, ranging from an old favorite called "Infamous" to "Summer Is a Curse" to a brand new track "Humans," the first single off the album. The songs, recorded mostly in Los Angeles in various studios with a collection of different producers, reveal how The Faim has evolved since their inception. Co-created with Patrick Morrissey and David Dahlquist while the band was writing songs in New York, "Humans" is an epic rock anthem with a massive, resonant chorus that reflects on how connected we all actually are. "Tongue Tied," produced by Drew Fulk, takes the band even further out of their comfort zone, as does "State of Mind," which was created with the purpose of testing new waters. "We wanted to shake up our mindset and our way of doing things," Stephen says. "For 'State of Mind,' I picked a chord I never play and that's how the song starts --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bringinbackpod/support Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bringin-it-backwards--4972373/support. https://bringinitbackwards.com/