San Fermin is an American indie rock collective, led by Brooklyn-based composer and songwriter Ellis Ludwig-Leone. Known for combining indie rock, pop, and classical influences into lush compositions, they released their self-titled debut album on Downtown Records in 2013. This was followed by the records Jackrabbit and Belong in 2015 and 2017, respectively. Their fourth album, a double album titled The Cormorant I & II, was released in full in March 2020.
San Fermin generally perform as an eight-piece group, pairing traditional rock instrumentation (electric guitar, keyboards, drums) with baritone saxophone, trumpet, and violin. The group has alternating lead vocalists, including co-founder Allen Tate and Claire Wellin.
History
Origins
San Fermin took shape after Ludwig-Leone's graduation from Yale University, where he studied composition. While still in college, he assisted composer Nico Muhly, known for his work with Antony and the Johnsons, Sufjan Stevens, and Grizzly Bear, on several film scores and operas. Despite being in several bands in high school and even some during college, Ludwig-Leone did not decide to focus on making pop music until the end of his college career: "I put on a concert with some new pieces I had written for female singers, and then we ended the night with some pop tunes from the band, for which I made these totally over-the-top arrangements. It was then I realized that I could bring these things together."
San Fermin
After his graduation from Yale in 2011, Ludwig-Leone retreated to Canada's secluded Banff Centre, where he wrote what would eventually become San Fermin. He subsequently returned to New York and began recording what he intended to be a standalone project, completing the recording sessions during July 2012. It features performances by 22 musicians, including vocals from Ludwig-Leone's longtime collaborator Allen Tate, as well as Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of Lucius.
San Fermin released their lead single "Sonsick" on December 4, 2012, which Pitchfork gave a positive review, declaring the song "deliriously infectious." After debuting the record live in December, Ludwig-Leone received a record deal offer from Downtown Records that made him reconsider the scope of the San Fermin project. The full record was intended to be self-released in February 2013, but, after signing to Downtown Records, the release was pushed back first to June then to the September of that year.
San Fermin released their self-titled debut on September 17, 2013, to positive reviews. NPR called the record "one of the year's most surprising, ambitious, evocative and moving records," praising Ludwig-Leone for his ability to write a collection of songs "as easy to love as they are to admire." Pitchfork also gave the album a positive review. The album reached #18 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers album chart.
Establishing the collective
The first live performance of San Fermin was on December 19, 2012, at Piano's in New York City; the performance featured sixteen musicians including Ludwig-Leone. In the months following, the line-up and size of the band shifted; by Fall 2013, the collective settled as an eight-member touring group made up of both musicians who helped record San Fermin, including Tate, trumpeter John Brandon, and saxophonist Stephen Chen, as well as newly recruited members, namely vocalist Rae Cassidy, guitarist Tyler McDiarmid, percussionist Michael Hanf, and violinist Rebekah Durham. Eliza Bagg also toured as a violinist for the group during 2013.
While Cassidy's voice and style was a departure from those of the women of Lucius on the record, her interpretations of the songs have been praised by numerous critics, including Paul Krugman of The New York Times. The New Yorker recognized the musicianship of the entire eight-piece live ensemble, noting their ability to "deliver epic and emotion-laden rock, with glorious and operatic vocals, electronic break beats, horns, strings, and other flourishes."
On November 13, 2013, the eight-piece released a live EP Live At The Advent Lutheran Church NYC as a stripped-back companion to their debut album.
In April 2014, Cassidy left the band to focus on her solo career and was replaced by Charlene Kaye.
Jackrabbit
Ludwig-Leone began writing his follow-up record in January and February 2013, prior to the release of the San Fermin debut record.