Brian Fennell

SYML is the solo venture of Brian Leseney Fennell, who was previously part of the indie band Barcelona. SYML released his eponymous debut album on May 3, 2019, through Nettwerk Records.

Life and career

Brian Fennell was born on January 16, 1983, in Issaquah, Washington, to his adopted parents. From a young age, he began studying classical piano, often playing in his grandmother's retirement home. He began writing his own music when he was 18 years old, his first song being used as a coping mechanism after the death of a schoolmate. After high school, he attended Seattle Pacific University and graduated with a degree in music education with an emphasis in percussion. After years of living in and around Seattle, he returned to his hometown and resides there where he writes and produces out of a home studio.

In 2005, Fennell finished his first solo album “Safety Songs.” By the end of that year, he formed the band Barcelona with Brian Eichelberger, Chris Bristol, and Rhett Stonelake. Their debut album ''Absolutes'' was released in 2007. Universal Records signed Barcelona in 2008 and re-released ''Absolutes'' with four new songs in 2009.

Fennell currently performs under the solo project SYML, Welsh for "simple" and pronounced "sim-muhl", inspired by his own personal heritage from his biological parents, who are Welsh. His experience grappling with his adoption and heritage are influences in his songwriting.

He shared his self-titled debut album in 2019 with the now Platinum-certified single "Where's My Love" and the wordless EP ''You Knew It Was Me'' in November 2020. In 2021, SYML released his third body of work, titled ''DIM'' inspired by his late father's cancer diagnosis. Fennell believes the word 'dim' perfectly describes mourning, a theme he continues to visit throughout his work.

After his song "Where's My Love" was used on the drama TV show ''Teen Wolf'', the song charted for 20 weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot Rock Songs chart. In 2018, the song received Gold certification in Canada and Belgium, and held the #1 spot on Canada's CBC Top 20 charts twice. SYML's "Wildfire" appeared in the Belgian teen drama web series ''wtFOCK'', an adaption of the Norwegian series ''SKAM''. "Where's My Love" was featured prominently in the trailer for the 2018 film ''Adrift''. SYML's singles "Where's My Love", "Fear of Water" and "Body" were featured in the American supernatural drama television series ''Shadowhunters''. In 2020, "Where's My Love" appeared in the movie ''Chemical Hearts''.

SYML collaborated with Lana Del Rey on the song “Paris, Texas” which was released on March 24, 2023 on the album ''Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd''. The song samples SYML’s instrumental track “I Wanted to Leave” from his EP ''You Knew It Was Me''.

On February 3, 2023, SYML released his sophomore album titled ''The Day My Father Died'', which consists of 15 tracks. The album was produced by Phil Ek and includes collaborations with Lucius, Guy Garvey, Sara Watkins, and Charlotte Lawrence. Expanding on themes from his previous EP ''DIM'', the album focuses on “what happens after we have lost.”

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

EPs

Singles

Guest appearances

References

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1983 births
Living people
Whitworth University alumni
American indie rock musicians
People from Issaquah, Washington
Musicians from Washington (state)