Failed Flowers

This single is part of the SLR30 Singles Series; while supplies last you can get a color vinyl version with a series subscription. More info and subscription links on the SLR30 Singles Series info page.

Formed by friends in 2014 during a summer spent obsessing about the Sarah Records catalog, Michigan band Failed Flowers quickly developed into a shadowy, high-speed pop vehicle. Drawing at first from the wistful sighs of Sarah, the group grew more of an edge as they progressed, evoking elements of C86 granularity and shoegaze blur. The original lineup of bassist Erin Davis, drummer Miles Haney, and dual guitarist/singers Fred Thomas and Autumn Wetli played around the midwest for about a year, releasing an eight song demo before Wetli left the band. Close friend and collaborator Anna Burch stepped in during the spring of 2015, amplifying both the harmonies and the disquiet. This new lineup recorded a nine-song mini album of sharper material that saw release on the 25 Diamonds label before Thomas left Michigan for Montreal and Burch began a solo career with her own pristine indiepop tunes. The band remained sporadically active, playing the occasional gig, doing a short run of shows with Protomartyr in 2017 and getting together to write and record in the increasingly rare moments when all parties were available. The two songs on this 7" are the fruits of Failed Flowers' most recent sessions and represent some of their most evolved work.

"Faces" is the first song Anna brought to the band, a wash of guitars and vocal harmonies that are somehow both quick and ambling. More melodic than most of the band's recorded output, it walks in the same remarkably catchy territory as Anna's always glowing solo work, though swimming through more waves of distortion.

"Broken Screen" was described as "The Strokes in a bar fight" seconds after the lead vocals were put to tape, and the song zips along nervously with just that energy. One half jumpy, self-conscious punk and one half Flying Nun grey skies pop.