SYML’s Debut Album Out Now

May 3, 2019 BY Nettwerk

The long-awaited self-titled debut from SYML is out today (May 3rd). A self-taught producer/programmer/engineer, as well as a guitarist, percussionist and classically trained pianist, music was always in Brian Fennell (aka SYML). SYML was born after writing the song “Where’s My Love,” which has gone on to stream more than 200 million times, used in over 20 syncs and is Certified Gold in the U.S., Netherlands, Ireland and Belgium, and is certified Platinum in Canada. His follow up, the anthemic track “Clean Eyes,” spent three months in the Top #30 on the Alternative Radio Chart. He has continued to write emotive, personal music — songs like “Girl,” about his young daughter’s surgery, “The Bird,” about the difficulty of holding onto to something we care about, “Break Free,” about misogyny in our society, and “Wildfire,” written when the hills of Washington were raining ash down on his home.

Simplicity is what moves SYML – pronounced “sih-mul,” it means “simple” in Welsh. A child of a closed adoption, Fennell only discovered his Welsh roots as an adult shortly before naming the project. The songwriting process for SYML was a therapeutic one, forcing him to confront his feelings around his identity, fatherhood, relationships and all the unexpected challenges we have to face. Recorded in his basement studio, 20 miles outside of Seattle, it was mostly produced by Fennell himself, with additional collaboration from Mark Ralph (Clean Bandit, Rudimental) and Chad Copelin. Mixed by Grammy award-winning engineer Joe Visciano (Beck, Adele), SYML by SYML is the sound of Brian Fennell opening up and letting us in, his emotional honesty and way with a killer melody and sharply observed lyric combining to powerful effect.

LISTEN (AND SHARE) THE ALBUM HERE: http://smarturl.it/SYMLLP

SYML’s headline U.S. summer tour begins June 10th in Washington, DC at Union Stage and includes stops at Music Hall Of Williamsburg in NYC on June 11th, a performance at Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco on August 10th, The Troubadour in Los Angeles on August 12th, and culminates in Seattle at The Neptune on August 17th. SYML is currently in Europe for a few dates and Liberation Festival and will head back overseas later this summer for Pinkpop, Rock Werchter, Haldern Pop and more. Over the past year, he has shared the stage with Lewis Capaldi, Flora Cash, and supported Dean Lewis on his sold-out spring run.  A complete list of upcoming tour dates follow below.

WHAT THE PRESS IS SAYING

“…takes him to glitchier and more soaring terrain, like some sort of gorgeous pastiche of Hozier and Sigur Rós.” – NPR

“the song’s broodingly exquisite opening—which finds Fennell’s gorgeous falsetto climbing over quietly picked guitar—breaks down into sinister electronics…perfectly conceptualized and executed.” – The Stranger

“Whether he’s going viral with sparse ballads or dropping weird and wonderful electro, everything he does turns to gold.”- Idolator

 “The project gets its name from the Welsh word for “simple”, but the music is far from “easy”; minimal melodies are executed with skillful restraint, and the resulting tracks are incredibly beautiful and highly emotive.” – Brightest Young Things

“a lush, subtle, and graceful piece of songwriting.” – Clash

SYML Track List:

Clean Eyes
Wildfire
Bed
Where’s My Love
Break Free
Animal
The Bird
Girl
Connor
WDWGILY
Everything All At Once
Before You Knew It was Me

North American Tour:

5/13     Los Angeles, CA @ Amoeba Records Hollywood

5/18     Glen Allen, VA @ XL102 Big Field Day

6/10     Washington, DC @ Union Stage +

6/11     Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg +

6/12     Boston, MA @ The Sinclair +

6/13     Montreal, QC @ L’Astral +

6/14     Toronto, ON @ The Mod Club Theatre +

8/10     San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands Festival

8/12     Los Angeles, CA @ The Troubadour *

8/15     Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom *

8/16     Vancouver, BC @ Imperial *

8/17     Seattle, WA @ Neptune *       

+ Fleurie support
* EXES support

European Tour :

5/5 Groningen, Netherlands @Liberation Festival

6/8 Landfraaf, Netherlands @ Pinkpop

6/21 Neuhausen ob Eck, Germany @ Southside Festival

6/22 Scheessel, Germany @ Hurricane Festival

6/23 Leipzig, Germany @ Naumanns

6/25 Zwolle, Netherlands @ Hedon

6/26 Nijmegen, Netherlands @ Doornroosje, Paarse Zaal

6/27 Esch Sur Alzette, Luxembourg @ Rockhal

6/29 Werchter, Belgium @ Rock Werchter

7/1 Milan, Italy @ Magnolia

7/6 Dublin, Ireland @ Button Factory

8/8 Haldern, Germany @ Haldern Pop

9/11 Vienna, Austria @ B72

9/12 Munich, Germany @ Strom

9/14 Zurich, Switzerland @ Papiersaal

9/16 Frankfurt, Germany @ Zoom

9/17 Cologne, Germany @ Luxor

9/18 Berlin, Germany @ Bi Nuu

10/14 Brussels, Belgium @ Ancienne Belgique

10/15 Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso

10/17 Oslo, Norway @ Ingensteds

10/19 Gothenburg, Sweden @ Oceanen

10/20 Stockholm, Sweden @ Debaser Bar Brooklyn

10/21 Copenhagen, Denmark @ Ideal Bar

10/23 Paris, France @ Maroquinerie

10/25 Brighton, United Kingdom @ The Haunt

10/26 Cardiff, United Kingdom @ Clwb Ifor Bach

10/27 Manchester, United Kingdom @ Band on a Wall

10/29 London, United Kingdom @ Scala