San Fermin/Photo: San Fermin
There’s something ineffable about San Fermin (the band, not the festival of San Fermín in Pamplona, Spain, which most famously includes the running of the bulls). Formed and led by auteur, composer and songwriter Ellis Ludwig-Leone shortly after he graduated from Yale in 2011, San Fermin debuted live in 2012 (as a sixteen-piece ensemble!) and released their first eponymous EP in 2013 (with nineteen participants, although the group has now pared down to a more manageable eight-piece).
There are touchstones to reference when describing the music of San Fermin. Ludwig-Leone’s moving but unwavering baritone brings to mind like-minded acts like The Dears, Editors and The National. The lush, orchestral pop arrangements, undergirded by piano, echo their predecessors like Scots Belle and Sebastian and Camera Obscura, as well as local heroes like Canasta and Very Truly Yours. But, as they say on “Law & Order,” the music of San Fermin is suis generis, that is, in a class by itself.
Their fifth full-length, “Arms,” released in February, also stands alone nicely, although it still fits within the through line of their discography. Ludwig-Leone, despite being the writer of the songs, has always been willing to share/delegate the microphone, but he’s almost oversharing on “Arms”—singer (and violinist) Claire Wellin sings lead on a number of tracks, as does co-founder, producer and his collaborator (and co-writer) for this record, Allen Tate.
The male/female lead vocals almost alternating on this album makes sense when factoring in the subject matter. On Bandcamp, the songs are described as being written “in the topsy-turvy months after the end of two relationships,” so Ludwig-Leone uses his songs, always characterized by coming from the perspective of multiple viewpoints, to express the different roles in his relationships.
Lean in length and compared to their earlier material, leaner in instrumentation, “Arms” is comparatively spare when juxtaposed with the earlier material, especially their recommended second album, “Jackrabbit” of 2015, and “The Cormorant,” released in two parts in 2019 and 2020, their most recent recordings. While not exactly “stripped-down,” the songs on “Arms” are distilled into their essences, laid bare, with perhaps two or three parts at some points, as opposed to consistently being densely packed with eight to ten layers. In terms of length, the record does end abruptly, but sometimes wanting more is not a bad thing.
I haven’t seen them live since their free show at Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park in 2015, but for a good idea of what to expect live, see their Bandcamp page and the recording of San Fermin live at San Francisco’s Fillmore, released last August, which has twenty-two tracks! True, that the Fillmore show was backed by Magik*Magik Orchestra, so they might not sound so grandiose when they’re in Chicago, but even with just eight members (all of whom have come and gone, except for Ellis Ludwig-Leone and Allen Tate), they should produce a full and robust sound nonetheless.
San Fermin plays an 18+ show at Lincoln Hall, 2424 North Lincoln on Wednesday, March 27. Doors at 7pm, show begins at 8pm with Runner opening. Tickets $25 here.
