Fear of Men

In early 2011 the Brighton-based indie pop and dream pop outfit Fear of Men emerged from material Jessica Weiss had originally created to fulfill requirements for her art degree. While producing atmospheric scores for her own short films, Weiss encountered guitarist Daniel Falvey during a screening of those works, after which the pair of art students began shaping a pop-oriented approach through private home recordings. They next assembled a run of lo-fi sketches meant to attract additional musicians, and bassist Alex Flynn-O'Neill along with drummer Michael Miles responded almost at once. Weiss assumed lead-vocal duties while continuing on guitar. The resulting unit issued a cassette that drew immediate praise and built momentum via opening slots and a sequence of 7-inch singles issued by the boutique imprints Sex Is Disgusting and Italian Beach Babes. Their emerging aesthetic blended the hazy, introspective shoegaze of 1990s acts such as Curve and Lush with the sunlit indie textures of the period. Early 2013 saw the arrival of the compilation Early Fragments, drawn from earlier cassette and vinyl material, just as the group readied its first full-length studio album. Several members had by then moved to London, and personnel adjustments accompanied the band’s inaugural overseas tours. The 2014 debut album Loom nevertheless featured the original trio of Weiss, Falvey, and Miles, supplemented on selected tracks by additional string and woodwind contributors. The record earned widespread critical approval, prompting North American and European headline dates plus support appearances with the Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Two years afterward Fear of Men returned with their sophomore effort, Fall Forever.