We got to chat with the Bassist of The Faim Stephen Beerkens about their record and what their writing/recording process was like for this record in particular, a little bit about what the story of the records name is and some future plans they may have! The Australian four-piece rock band The Faim will release their sophomore album Talk Talk July 8 via BMG. The album follows the band’s 2019 debut State Of Mind.
The Vinyl: For those who may not be quite familiar with you, mind introducing yourselves and share a fun fact no one may know about you
Steven Beerkens: Hey! I’m Stephen and I play bass/keys! An interesting fact about me that no-one may know is that I can quote the entire movie of “Monsters Inc” start to finish!
TV: You’re set to releases your sophomore record July 8th, what was the writing/recording process like for this record? Did you take anything learned from previous recordings and apply it to this record?
SB: The writing/recording process of this record was ever changing throughout its creation. From the beginning of 2020, when we were all in Perth writing songs together, to the end of 2021/start of 2022 writing from our separate locations of Los Angeles, Melbourne and Perth! Something that we applied to this record was producing the majority of the demos ourselves, which gave us much more control over the feel and sound of the record.
TV: On this record you got to work with two producers whom have worked with several well-known artists in the industry, what was it like to be able to work with people who have produced records for countless acts? What/how did these producers inspire you all when writing/recording?
SB: It was a great experience working with such well-established producers on this record! The producers Matt Pauling, Zakk Cervini and Erik Ron all played different roles in bringing the best out of the songs they worked on. The best thing about working with these guys is the influence that their own personal musicianship adds to the songs, and their ability to adapt their knowledge to the sound of our band.
TV: How did you keep the band’s trajectory going through lockdown?
SB: The main focus of ours during the lockdown period was writing songs, and a lot of them! For myself especially, this period was a huge learning curve for me figuring out how I write best and improving my skills in both songwriting and production.
TV: What is meaning behind the record name Talk Talk?
SB: As mentioned before, the process of recording the album was ever changing. Writing Talk Talk was a huge learning curve from start to finish, and one that was highly influenced by communication. The idea for the title itself came from lyrics of a song that didn’t make it onto the record, but those words stuck with us because talking and conversation is what shaped the writing and sound behind the songs over the 2.5 year writing period!
TV: During the writing process, what inspires the lyrics, do you base it off personal life experiences? Or something someone you know has gone through?
SB: A lot of it comes from personal experience, though it can be a mixture of both! I find that the lyrics that stick most tend to come from places that mean something to me, because if I can relate to what I’m writing, chances are there’s a lot of people out there who can relate too.
TV: Off the new record, if you had to only pick one song which is your favorite?
SB: I’d have to say “madly, badly fixed” would be my favourite! This song is filled with special moments and when writing it, I felt like it opened up new doors and avenues I hadn’t explored previously!
TV: What are some goals of the rest of 2022 you all may have? What is the rest of 2022 looking like for The Faim?
SB: We’re excited to keep writing more music and maintain the momentum that this year has brought for us! After finishing this UK/EU leg of touring, we jump straight into our first Aussie tour in over 3 years!
TV: As we conclude this interview anything you would like to say/share to the fans?
SBI’d just like to say a huge thank you to everyone that’s stuck around over the past few years! And if there’s somebody reading this that is new to our band, then I hope our music can give you a reason to stick around for the ride too!