The FMs today drop their rendition of Joy Divisions classic ‘A Means to an End’ from their upcoming album ‘51122’ releasing on November 22nd.
While Joy Division no doubt have their own timeless sound that can never be repeated, The FMs can, however, make an homage in the sincerest for of the word and, in essence, make the song their own with a solid rendition. Remakes can be hit or miss, especially with a classic such as this. But The FMs truly make an original track out of an original classic. There is enough around the edges to reference the original, but, and I say that with a big but, there is nothing but The FMs from the roots to the branches. This is a re imaging. A reinvention, if you will. Harder around some edges and softer around some of the curves. Made by fans and released by musicians.
“Frankie and I were for years tossing around doing a cover song but could never agree on the right one. We’ve always been into Joy Division and actually covered ‘She’s Lost Control’ in our first band. One day I asked Frankie what their favorite Joy Division song was and he said ‘A Means to an End’ and I was like, let’s just do that. I went off the rails on this synth & digi drums-only arrangement trying to harness the chaotic unexpected nature of JD. Frankie did this mind-blowing performance, maybe my favorite thing we’ve ever recorded of their voice in three takes. Our producer for 51112, David Werner, then took our demos, simplified them a bit in a way and put his own spin on a few things that ultimately elevated the recording quite significantly.”
Matte Namer
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About The FMs
High school friends Matte Namer (she/they) and Frankie Rex (he/they) began The FMs in 2016, forging a close bond through their respective journeys coming out as transgender and shared love of synthesizers.
The next six years saw The FMs create an entire community around their illegal SVBVERT shows on a ferry boat in the industrial canals of Bushwick, where they also recorded and self-produced three full-length LPs.
Their debut LP Machinacene Epoch (2017) irreverently coupled 90s psychedelic-industrial grunge with dance pop, earning The FMs the title of “New York’s outré band of sonic seditionaries” from BlackBook Magazine. Machianacene Epoch cemented The FMs’ commitment to a traditional approach to the creation of albums, demonstrating their philosophy that each release should have its own identity and be a standalone sonic statement.
The duo’s music evolved in a softer, more personal direction for the birth of their sophomore double-LP PINK + BLACK. Between 2017 and 2020, Namer clocked a whopping 2,000 hours in their underwater studio recording, producing, and tinkering with her analog synths. The result was a shimmering sonic odyssey, nodding to early synth pioneers like Brian Eno, Kraftwerk, and Gary Numan, all firmly grounded by the aching influence of lyric-forward 90s rock bands like Nirvana.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud and excited for an album release. There’s an identity and flow to these ten songs that feel like our most developed work thus far. We got to work with David Werner who understood our music and energy and how to elevate it and direct it. It’s also a bit somber being the last music that I think will ever be released with Frankie’s incredible, powerful, unique voice. I think there’s something about that that makes me remember they are really gone, like an orchid blooming from a coffin nail. 51122 is the date Frankie passed away, but is also a type of symbol in a way, or perhaps a word. I’m not sure what that meaning is yet, perhaps the orchid needs to grow.”
Before The FMs could celebrate the release of PINK + BLACK, Rex passed away from a fentanyl overdose in 2022. This devastating loss put a years-long pause on the project, but even death ultimately could not stop Frankie’s voice from being heard. Two years later Namer told NY Daily News, “From almost the moment they passed on, I knew this was my responsibility – I had to make sure that this work that they had done, that the world got to hear it and see it.”
PINK + BLACK was released posthumously in 2024 and received recognition in multiple major publications including NY Daily News, MetroWeekly, GLAAD, Mundane Magazine, and New Noise Magazine. In anticipation of this new chapter, Namer reformed The FMs in Ithaca, NY with trans musicians Bubba Crumrine (guitars), Basim Hussain (synths, keys), and Nick Scollard (drums). The double-LP and new live band made their debut at the first-ever Frankie Fest, a tribute to Frankie Rex and fundraiser for Chosen Family Law Center.
The FMs are back with a new ferocity, recording and performing all-new material inspired by lo-fi dream pop, classic new wave and disco. As Metal Epidemic lauds in their glowing review of PINK + BLACK, “the spirit of punk music lives on a little longer.”
Featured image by Dylan Mars-Greenberg.
‘51122’ Track List
- My Sex
- Record Store
- You Feel Like God
- A Means to an End
- Deviant
- Future Pope
- Hurt
- Domino
- T/riangle
- Wild New Earth
LINKS:
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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcMdi3VVvLu7F4gcQNYtGBw
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/machinacene-epoch/id1286874160
