FERRIS & SYLVESTER SHARE THE NEW SINGLE ‘THE GAME’

As they count down the days until the August 14th release of their eagerly anticipated third album ‘It’s A Joy To Be Alive’, Ferris & Slyvester’s new single ‘The Game’ takes us back to when the couple first met.

‘The Game’ takes us back ten years to when Issy Ferris and Archie Sylvester first met in the bustle of Camden’s renowned folk and blues venue the Spiritual Bar. In classic love song style, they both take a verse to share their perspective on the story, in-between bringing their musical intuition together for the sweet, uplifting vocal harmonies of its hook. And again like a timeless romance, there’s an inevitability to it: the promises of casual friendship, the late-night walks home, lingering together so long that you miss the last train home… and before you know, you’ve fallen harder than you had ever expected.
 
Issy says, “It has taken 10 years for us to write a love song about ourselves and our story. We were touring a couple of years ago, and we had this sudden urge to swap out our darker, heavier material for something light and fun. I think Archie’s working title for the project was ‘I really f*cking love you’. ‘The Game’ was one of the first songs we wrote. We wanted it to feel like the great British love songs of the 1970s. A bit Kinks, a bit Carpenters. It turns out, we are hopelessly sentimental and romantic.”
 
While ‘The Game’ is effectively the opening chapter of their story, ‘It’s A Joy To Be Alive’ provides postcard snapshots of so much that has happened since, from their early infatuation to cementing their relationship, through to the fear they experienced when Issy fell gravely ill and their first child was born prematurely, and relishing parenthood. The recurring theme of the record is one of joy: how shared love and hope for the future can bring light to the darkest of times. Musically it represents a new peak, too, bringing together sweet bohemian chic folk melodies, gritty bluesy rock and a touch of sophistic-pop for their most engaging collection of songs to date.
 
Their personal story and their journey as musicians are innately intertwined. At that first meeting, they surely couldn’t have imagined the triumphs that have followed:   #1 on the UK’s Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart; Album of the Year at the Americana UK Awards; numerous headline shows across the UK and Europe; major festivals such as Glastonbury, Wilderness and SXSW; and sharing stages with iconic figures such as Robert Plant. They have also enjoyed airplay at Radio 2 and BBC Introducing, as well as receiving tastemaker attention that has included Rolling Stone, BBC Introducing, Classic Rock, Clash, The Times, The Independent, NPR and Wonderland.
 
The ‘It’s A Joy To Be Alive’ album is available to pre-order HERE. It will be released on pink vinyl with a signed insert and a signed CD. Album bundle offers also include new merch items.
 
In keeping with the way that the song revisits the start of the Ferris & Sylvester story, the duo recently announced that they will celebrate the release of the album with a return to Camden when they headline a special show at London’s Jazz Cafe on December 15th. Tickets are now available HERE.
 
They commented, “The Jazz Cafe is legendary, our dream venue, and we’ve always wanted to play under the disco ball. We knew this album was the right record for it and we’re just so happy we’re making it happen. We’re going all out for this one.”
 
A taste of their live experience can be seen with a performance of their recent single ‘Jealous’.