Brooklyn indie rock collective San Fermin have a lot going on. As of today, bandleader Ellis Ludwig-Leone and lead vocalist Allen Tate are launching Better Company, a record label focused on the importance of collaboration. “In This House” is the first release on the label, and it’s a soaring ballad by San Fermin that brings in string fourpiece Attacca Quartet for an arrangement by Nico Muhly.
“This song, both lyrically and musically, is about the spaces we inhabit, and how we share them with other people,” the duo share. “I started with just the vocal line and the piano, and sent that to Nico a couple weeks after quarantine started. Then he arranged the string quartet, added some dulcitone and bass, and made a couple tweaks to the harmony that helped give the song its shape. When things finally started opening up a bit in the summer, we were able to get into the studio for a day with Attacca—all socially distanced and masked—to record. It was a cathartic feeling to be back in a situation where we could make music together again after such a hard few months.”
Listen to “In This House” below.
