Feyer is an artist who knows how to do it all: singer, songwriter, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist with diverse musical experience spanning many genres and styles. Feyer constructs his unique sound by combining personal yet theatrical lyrics with a classically influenced melodic and instrumental style, coupled with electronic-rock production.
Who else do you know have that ability? While you think of some artists who can attempt to compare themselves to Feyer, let us tell you more! Key components of Feyer's style are the fusion of retro and futuristic sounds and the incorporation of visual elements into the mix, drawing great influence from nostalgic cartoons, movies, video games, and animation loops. There is absolutely not one artist who fuses together these key elements to create a unique and detailed hit record the way Feyer has the capability of doing.
In early 2017, Feyer released his debut album, Signals Internalized. The music was described as energetic, exciting, thought-provoking and risk-taking by a number of online publications such as Music Connection, Impose and Pure Grain Audio. The result of this? Several music videos that gave Feyer the opportunity to perform at some of the greatest venues you can think of in NYC! When he is not working on his own music, Feyer can be found involving himself with other projects with a number of different artists and bands all across the music world. These include recording, producing, and remixing other artists, co-writing with other songwriters and producers, and running the audio production company Accretion Sound, which offers services in composing and sound designing for films, shows, video games, commercials, and audiobooks.
Feyer is a refreshing artist whose hard work, dedication and talent send him into great heights of success. Feyer's new singles, "Stuck in a Video Game" and "Parties!" are now out on all platforms, in partnership with Kobalt's AWAL. Check them out and stay tuned for more exciting Feyer news to come!
Listen to the vocal stylings of Feyer here.
Welcome back to BuzzMusic, Feyer! What has been the biggest challenge you had to overcome as an independent artist and in what ways have you overcome it?
Thanks for having me back! For me, the biggest challenge as an independent artist has been cutting through the noise. Thanks to the rise of the internet, and social media, in particular, thousands of people are producing great content every day, and it can be easy to get lost in the shuffle. I find that trying to not copy what everyone else is doing will get you more recognition in the long run, especially if it is something that feels true to you. The most important thing I need to tell myself is that it’s not going to do me any good sitting around comparing myself to others and feeling jealous of their success, but rather celebrating their success as something to motivate your own work.
What are some of the elements we can find in your single “Stuck in a Video Game”?
In “Stuck in a Video Game,” you can find elements of retro and modern video game soundtracks, as well as 80s progressive rock and new wave vibes that I am greatly influenced by. It is definitely one of the most ironic and on-the-nose songs I’ve written, but my audience seems to get a kick out of it, particularly during the chorus. The music video puts the song to a story where I get sucked into a video game and have to fight off different enemies to get to the next level. Is it a metaphor for real life? Perhaps.
What was your personal favorite component to the creative process for your single “Parties” and why?
“Parties!” has been in the works probably longer than any of my other released songs. The track’s infancy began during my junior year of college in late 2014 when I broke six bones in my foot and needed to have surgery. Unable to walk for almost half a year, it made socializing and enjoying the college experience quite difficult. While I was away from my peers recovering, I began to write “Parties!” and what became my favorite element was the sharp contrast between the verses and the chorus. The verses are introspective and portray a sense of anxiety about having a social life, while the chorus is a tongue-in-cheek anthem about the acts of partying itself, taken from the perspective of an outside narrator (me). I think the combination of these opposing tones makes for an unusual but satisfying experience.
How would you describe your approach to the production of both “Stuck in a Video Game” and “Parties”? What was the major difference in both of these songs?
These two recent singles are from very different ends of my writing spectrum. First of all, “Stuck in a Video Game” embraces elements of 8-bit and electronica, while “Parties!” has more of hard rock production. I approached “Stuck in a Video Game” like a game soundtrack, borrowing inspiration from some of these video games I played growing up (most of them I was terrible at!) “Parties!”, on the other hand, was more in line with a live rock band in mind, alluding to real-life festivities by cranking up the energy. One of my friends describes “Parties!” as “If Andrew WK was actually a social outcast.” The thing that makes both of these songs similar is the observations of everyday life and how they can be transformed thematically and metaphorically.
What’s the theme most of your music presents Feyer?
I try to dabble in many different themes, as I believe most artists have different aspects of their personalities that come through at different times in different environments. I’m no exception. However, I've noticed over the years that a common theme I frequently go back to is anxiety. Anxiety is something that affects all of us, some more than others, and I feel as if writing about it can be the best form of therapy. There is a stigma attached to discussing mental health that I hope one day is broken, and I try to use my songwriting to help move that forward. That being said, I certainly don’t want my music to be all doom and gloom, so I will often put an ironic, self-aware spin on it that eases some of the tension.
What’s next for you in 2020?
I am very excited for 2020 and beyond. A new decade brings a new wave of excitement and hope for the future. At the moment, I am planning some live events outside of my hometown of NYC. I have several collaborations with other artists in the works, as well as a few remixes I’m working on under the name Draniods (my DJ, remixing, and EDM production project). Additionally, I have recently launched my own audio production company named Accretion Sound, which will operate more in the realms of sound mixing, sound design and scoring for films, commercials, podcasts, audiobooks and other forms of media. I try to keep busy, as you can tell!