Raise your hand If you think that The XX will never be as strong as they were on their debut. Now raise your hand If you are confident that many chamber pop groups would not exist If The XX did not lead the way. Now raise your hand If you think San Femin is the student who became better than their sagacious teacher.
Behind the project San Fermin stands Ellis Ludwig Leona, educated musician from Yale University, producer and underground genius of pop music. Super talented artist, secretly manages the band whose main vocals are Charlene Kaye and Allen Tate. Other members include trumpeter John Brandon, saxophone player Stephen Chen, violinist Rebekah Durham, drummer Michael Hanf and guitarists Tyler McDiarmid and Aki Ishiguro.
After the previous albums, Ellis has finally dedicated his time to writing songs for San Fermin, a group of people with whom he has been performing a million times. One of the strongest assets of the third full length album titled Belong is interplay of the two main vocals who provoke a spectrum of feelings and seek answers on those everlasting questions of love and suffering. In such moments, they reminded me of The XX. The only difference is that chamber pop of San Fermin comes off as more rich and powerful.
Major topics on the record include alienation, departure, fear of attachment, disappointment, everyday anxiety. Everything is supported by epic orchestrations, infatuating melodies and catchy choruses that overflood every sense. Same as on previous releases, plethora of instruments permeate through, from piano to strings. For this discographic adventure, Ludwig-Leone decided to spice up diverse pop with electronic ingredients and synth-pop elements.
Promotional single Open is congruent to the evolution of the band and the new direction that is explored throughout the album. Other shiny moments include Oceanica (which sounds like it dropped from Tindersticks catalogue), Perfume (saxophone undresses you), and title track in which Carlene and Tate exchange verses about sad realization that the one who you sincerely love can not reply to you with her\his presence (not a band thing, in my humble romantic opinion).
There are many other hidden treasures on this record, but I highly recommend you to discover them on your own.
