Having listened to the layered synthetic shimmer of Milwaukee electro-pop outfit Faux Fir's debut EP, it's no surprise its origin was electronic.
Guitarist and keyboard player Adam Bartell and singer and keyboard player Ryan Rupprecht met on Craigslist, where the two had been slogging through classified ads looking for like-minded musicians to little success.
"Ryan and I met like most people do these days, not in person," said Bartell, "Basically I would look at all the want ads and the postings there and be like, 'Wow I don't want even to expend the energy to call them.'"
Eventually, Rupprecht sent Bartell an e-mail with the subject line "Ska Sucks," and the two would-be bandmates made plans to get together and play music.
"I remember thinking. I don't know this person, and I am from a smaller town. I just let him into my house. But after 10 minutes it was fine," Rupprecht said.
"I left my knives in the car," Bartell said.
The songs that the two have written together, along with bassist Will Boucher and drummer Jake Brahm, have proven to be a true collaboration.
"One of the songs that we had worked on was a little demo of mine and I just sent over a piano and vocal demo and three days later I get back what I would consider a micro epic masterpiece," Bartell said.
And while Bartell originally handled vocal duties, it became clear that Rupprecht's soaring range might make for a better fit.
"I remember actually playing that for some friends of mine I had played with in Portland and I was like 'What do you think of this?' and they were just like 'Wow, that's really awesome ... That guy has a really good voice. Much better than your voice,'" Bartell said.
The result of their collaboration is a catchy collection of synth-heavy indie pop that recalls bands like Passion Pit and Hot Chip.
Recorded with help from Decibully's Ryan Weber at his Spaceship Goodtimes Studio, songs like "Baggage Claim" explode from a simple slinking bass line into a kaleidoscope of electronic blips and chunky keyboard parts.
Another song "Work Suite" morphs a pretty standard indie rock tune into club territory with disco drums and a plinking, Nintendo-indebted keyboard part.
"There just has to be tons of stuff happening for some reason and I don't like them to be pianos and banjos. For some reason I don't like things that sound real anymore. I don't know if it's an escape for me or what," Rupprecht said.
Bartell said the songs became even more layered in the studio, where Weber would work with the band to make tweaks and see how far they could push the songs.
"There are so many layers but every once in a while there is that thing that will stick out and grab your attention and then disappear again like a shark fin," Bartell said.
Faux Fir releases its self titled EP Saturday Dec. 4 at Cactus Club 2496 S. Wentworth Ave. along with Fatty Acids, Made of Oak and the Glamour.
