The Familiar Archives

The Familiar – “Shelter”

The Familiar’s music often sounds ominous, but nothing bad really ever happens. Just the glow of slow-burning embers softly illuminating the darkness. Out this week, their debut full-length album “Shelter” is itself a long-form crescendo. Starting with the dark and brooding “Spectre”, the record slowly unfolds into the light culminating with the ethereal release of the lead single, “Everything”. The song’s vivid imagery romanticizes life in a remote, frigid landscape where the complications of city life are rendered numb by the cold: Rawest simple thingsBread, water, museMagical and undefinedSparkling the faint daylight Simpler herePhone frozen unusedWatching bus headlightsTrained on snowy hues Since their chance encounter above the Arctic Circle in Norway, the transatlantic duo has taken their time to meticulously craft their music exactly the way they want it. Ruth Mirsky’s sultry vocals provide a perfect complement to the dark, pulsating synthesizers and cinematic orchestral elements of Tromsø-born producer Mads […]

The Familiar – “Everything”

Above the Arctic Circle during Norway’s season of darkness, a chance encounter between an American and a Norwegian spawned a transatlantic musical partnership called The Familiar. The duo of native New Yorker Ruth Mirsky and Tromsø-born producer Mads Martinsen is the northern lights meeting the skyscrapers of New York. Their sound, hailed as “seductive synthpop” by The Guardian, has evolved over the past few years with two independently released EPs, numerous music videos and syncs including a spot for HP Enterprise, MTV’s “Awkward” and a trailer for the Norwegian series “Unge Lovende”. The Familiar are back with a powerful new single “Everything”, the first release off their forthcoming debut full-length album. The song is a smoldering tribute to northern Norway—a magical place that beckons like a siren, where time seems to freeze in a darkness that never moves. Gloves and a warm hat are recommended before listening.