About Fenech-Soler
Hometown
Kings Cliffe, Northamptonshire, England
Formed
2006
Genre
Alternative
Hailing from Kings Cliffe, Northamptonshire, brothers Ben (vocals) and Ross Duffy (guitar) had been making music on their home computer since their early teens, but in 2006 they decided to form a band. After recruiting friends Daniel Soler (bass) and Andrew Lindsay (drums), they tagged themselves Fenech-Soler (after Daniel's full surname) and emerged with a blend of electro-funk and punchy techno pop that appealed to clubbers and the alternative crowd alike. Citing Michael Jackson's Dangerous as their main influence, the group wrote songs that they described as "glam, psychedelic, zouk pop." They soon released an EP produced by Moloko's Mark Brydon that connected them to the regional indie disco scene of bands like Delphic, Klaxons, and Friendly Fires. After signing to Moda Music, Fenech-Soler remixed tracks for Marina & the Diamonds and Example, while Ben provided vocals for "Paper Romance," a track on Groove Armada's Black Light album. In 2010 they released their self-titled debut album, which featured the three singles "The Cult of Romance," "Stop and Stare," and "Lies." The following year, Ben Duffy was diagnosed with testicular cancer, from which he mercifully recovered; however, his treatment required that the band be put on hold.
In 2013, Fenech-Soler returned, signing to Warner Bros. for the release of their second album, Rituals, featuring the singles "Magnetic" and "Last Forever." Following heavy touring to promote the record, Soler and Lindsay amicably left the band, leaving the two brothers back where they started. Feeling the pressure of having to top what came before, they decamped to L.A. to demo new material with Jacknife Lee, but inspiration failed to strike. The brothers decided to head home to the village where they had grown up, and came across their first keyboard from childhood. Within a matter of weeks they had written most of a new album, which they produced themselves. After issuing a preview of sorts via the Kaleidoscope EP in September 2016, Zilla, an album of bright, breezy pop full of big melodies, followed in early 2017 on So Recordings. ~ Jon O'Brien & Marcy Donelson
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