The band drew inspiration from the 1990s and early 2000s indie pop/rock, such as Stereolab, Yo La Tengo, and Panchiko, contemporary psych, dream pop, and shoegaze, such as Crumb, Pearl and the Oysters, Spirit of the Beehive, MuiZyu, They Are Gutting, A Body of Water, Shibuya-kei, krautrock, 1970s soft rock/jazz fusion, and ambient/experimental electronic music, such as Wendy Carlos, Luc Ferrari, Pierre Schaeffer, and Brian Eno. Ferrn is a collaboration between longtime musicians and friends from the Chicago, Illinois, and Gainesville, Florida music scenes.
Singer, songwriter, composer, and producer Ryan Backman, a pianist since the age of 8, has been active in various musical projects in the Gainesville, Florida, music scene for years. He also studied music theory and electroacoustic composition at the University of Florida. Ferrn marks a return to music after a years-long hiatus, this time in Chicago. Bassist and producer Jonathan Mondragon has been active in the Chicago music scene for 15 years, as a musician/producer and an avid music-goer. This is his first project in quite some time as a producer, and even longer as a bassist. He’s been playing bass since he was 14 and has been obsessed with pedals ever since. He studied audio engineering at Full Sail. Guitarist Tyler Earls grew up in Rockford, IL, before moving to Chicago. He’s played bass in bands like Poppy Mallows and Augurs of Eden, in addition to guitar in his solo projects Cuckoo & The Birds and Ferrn.
The band began as a solo home project during the pandemic and was a way to create something active, exciting, and eclectic in seemingly bleak circumstances. It has since grown into a full-fledged production by a five-piece band that plans to play shows in early 2025. A YouTube environmental set series is also in the works, including an elaborate swamp piece and a light show.
Amid a global pandemic and escalating climate change, the music grew out of a need for the band to do something active and forward-thinking. Much of it has to do with searching for something better in a bleak and disoriented world. As someone born in Florida, expressing climate anxiety inevitably led me to consider Florida as a theme as well. The album creates a world that feels like a fictional dystopian Florida, somewhere that is both beautiful and unsettling.
The origins of each track began with piano and synthesizer with vocals, usually from solo improvisations. They put the songs together in a home studio. Drum machines, keyboards, synthesizers, and samples were played, recorded, and processed from home. Guitarist Tyler Earls later joined, and the music took on a new form, becoming much more lively and physical. Some of their favourite moments on the record came from the back and forth of rearranging the tracks to fit the energy added by the guitar parts. Once the songs were complete, they went into the studio and recorded vocals, guitar, and bass with Max Grazier (of Rat Tally) at Grazier Audio. Max brought a lot of magic to each track and added a lot of texture and consistency.
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