The FAIM

The Faim, an Australian outfit, specialize in anthemic pop/rock propelled by guitars and shaped by the sound of Fall Out Boy alongside Panic! At the Disco. Widespread notice arrived with their 2018 EP Summer Is a Curse, whose track "Saints and Sinners" was co-written by Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz; that release in turn opened the door to the full-length State of Mind in 2019.

The group formed in Perth in 2014, taking their name from the French word for hunger. Vocalist Josh Raven, bassist/keyboardist Stephen Beerkens, guitarist Michael Bono, and drummer Sean Tighe first assembled while still in high school. Live shows soon followed, as did online demo postings that reached producer and Goldfinger singer/guitarist John Feldmann. He brought the band to Los Angeles to refine their songs, leading to a contract with BMG Rights Management and the 2018 release of Summer Is a Curse. That EP contained the title-track single co-written by Five Seconds of Summer's Ashton Irwin as well as "Saints and Sinners." At the same time the Faim toured with Sleeping with Sirens, PVRIS, and Lower Than Atlantis while appearing at Reading and Leeds Festival, The Great Escape, and Liverpool Sound City.

Early 2019 brought lineup adjustments when Bono and Tighe exited; guitarist Samuel Tye and drummer Linden Marissen joined in their place. Recharged, the band issued their debut album State of Mind later that year. Produced by Feldmann and Drew Fulk, the record displayed a maturing emo-pop-infused style. After a run of dates with Stand Atlantic, they began previewing a follow-up album via the 2021 track "Ease My Mind" and the 2022 songs "The Hills" and "ERA."