Chicago pop darlings, Fairview are gearing up for one hell of a summer, with their debut EP on the way and tour dates with SayWeCanFly and Plain White T’s planned throughout June. A long time in the making, the band’s upcoming release chronicles their journey as musicians, dating back to 2015 and following them throughout the years as they’ve developed and refined their sound. With even more new music in the works, Fairview are looking toward the future and excited to hit the road. Get to know more about the band below.
Interview by Dom Vigil
Can you tell us a little bit about Fairview for any readers who might not be familiar?
Fairview’s heart and soul is made up of the love story between Matt Richardson and Lizzy Zyburt, the two lead singers. With our chemistry and heartfelt lyrics paired with the talent of Shawn and Becca, we are an acoustic dream pop band, unique in our sound, look, and chemistry.
You guys are getting ready for a busy summer full of tour dates and new music! What are you looking forward to the most in the next few months?
Yes! We’re so excited to be hitting the road for the next few months. I’d say just being able to play in cities we’ve never been to, venues that have so much history, and touring with some of our best friends is definitely something we’re looking forward to most.
You’re also currently getting ready to release your new EP this summer! What are you excited for listeners to hear on it?
We’re excited for them to hear all 5 of these songs. We’ve honestly put so much work into these songs and are so excited to put it out. These are some of the best songs we’ve ever written, and it really does show who we are and what our sound is.
It being your debut release, did you have any major goals in mind when you started working on the EP?
Well we started writing it back in 2015. So some of these songs have really stood the test of time. Back then our goals weren’t as set as they are now. When we started “Life In Your Years” (the first song finished on the EP) we didn’t even really know we were writing for an album. At that time we were writing with Tom Higgenson from the Plain White T’s, and we were just so stoked to be doing that. As we developed as writers and performers, we started to create goals. And in the past few years it’s been to be able to release an album and spend months on end touring after its release. So it feels really good to say we’re on track for that goal. It’s been well worth the wait.
Were there any challenges you had to overcome when working on the EP?
Like I previously mentioned, we started writing the songs for the album over two years ago. When that first started the process of writing with Tom, it wasn’t in any hurry. So I’d say one major challenge we faced was just the turnaround time it took to finish the EP. However, in this process we got to work with the super talented members of Tom’s team, Dan Monahan and Augie Schmidt. There is never a dull moment with those guys. We probably never laughed more than we did during weeks in the studio haha. So even though the challenge was the time it took, we honestly are so happy with the outcome and truly feel ready now more than ever.
How do you feel you’ve grown as musicians with the writing and recording of these songs?
We can all agree that over the course of creating this EP- we’ve all changed immensely. From our look, to our band members, a lot changed. But crazy enough the one thing that never changed was our sound – our music. Some of these songs are the same ones we started with that are just coming out now. And they still feel relevant and relatable. So that really gives us confidence that if us as 19 or 23 year olds can still relate to them, that other people can too.
When can listeners expect to hear some more new music from Fairview?
We actually have a new album finished being written!! Once we’re off from tour in the fall we plan to hit the studio and get it out before the end of the year. So excited. These songs are just as true to who we are, but touching on really new ideas. And we got a chance to work with new people on some of the songs too. We’re really proud of it and can’t wait to share!
Do you have any other big plans or goals for 2018?
Our big goal was to tour! We all put a lot on the line this year to really push this forward and so far it’s been great. Sometimes you really do need to put it all on the line. As far as other goals go? We could all agree putting out a second EP is a goal, continuing to grow on our live show, and book more tours, and meeting Taylor Swift is never a bad goal to have either.
Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
We’d just like to say thank you to everybody who took the time to listen to our music, and if you haven’t yet, we’d love to know what you think. We’re super excited to continue on this journey and love taking the time to reflect on it like this. So thank you guys!
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