16 SEPTEMBER 18-24, 2025 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Spillman’s brother, Ian, joined the crew as its new drummer last fall (the siblings come from a musical family with its own band, the Spillionaires). “I’ve known Hannah for a few years, and I’ve known Kate since middle school; we did theater together. And obviously, I’ve known Madi for just a little while longer than that,” he quips. Although he already plays in six other bands, he says, “I was over the moon when they asked me to help them out, and then asking me to do this record was a really, really big honor.” Three of Swords is emblematic of May Be Fern’s distinctive and versatile sound: funky, rock-oriented, jammy and absolutely addictive. It’s completely unique, but you can distinguish a range of infl uences from the ‘70s and ‘80s eras of funk, soul, post punk, new wave and rock. The album is one you’ll listen to from start to fi nish, no skips — each of the fi fteen songs is a hit, brimming with imagery that immerses the listener, and it’s clear their placements are intentional to really drive the theme. “This album is a story of healing, and healing is not linear,” Fern says. “You will be absolutely livid, pissed, blood boiling one second, and then you step outside, and the sun’s setting, and you’re with your friends, and it’s beautiful, and you progress and you get to feel peace. And that’s kind of what the album does. Also, that’s just what our live sets always do: We’ll take you on a journey.” It all kicks off with “Fine Is Her Name,” an uplifting, jazzy tune that refl ects on how someone else can change how you see yourself, in the best ways. It’s inspired by a friend of the members, whom Fern describes as a “spirit guide” to the band. “Part of Tarot is having someone who reads it, channels it,” she says. “So it’s a song about the ultra witch, powerful entity. That had to be part of the story.” That’s followed by “Short Fuse,” a wick- edly sassy salvo that could be dubbed an Aries anthem (May, Fern and Spillman’s astrological charts all have their moon place- ments in Aries). “It’s about disassociating and refusing to open up to people you don’t trust,” Fern says. May Be Fern is able to succinctly capture such emotions in both lyrics and sonics. “You Want Me to Feel Bad” is an accurate de- scription of the maddening back-and-forth of gaslighting. “People know the feeling of being cut,” the bassist says, “and all we could do is let the blood fl ow into the song, because everybody has tasted this.” The song is more rock-driven, with Spillman delivering a sear- ing guitar solo that emulates the fraught emotions, confusion and internal dialogues. “Kate and I sat down one night and we were like, ‘Let’s make some complicated. Let’s make something weird. Let’s do some Bowie stuff,’” May says. “We put together this crazy chord progression that was fast, and then we brought it into Madi, and even- tually it morphed into this rock song. Madi took what we made and just made it launch.” Soothing songs such as “Golden Hour” add a keen balance to the album, with May’s cascading keys crafting a sonic landscape supplemented by vocal harmonies from Fern and Ian. The band’s funk infl uences, meanwhile, are displayed in the intro to “Talk to Me,” which showcases groovy riffs from May’s keys before all instruments meet to build a beat that almost forces you to tap your feet — it’s so good, you honestly don’t have a choice. And Fern’s vocals climb over that beat like the sun cresting mountain tops. You could compare the amount of soul she belts out to Janis Joplin, with a passion so potent you feel it in the goosebumps crawl- ing up your arms, whether you’re hearing it through the headphones or live, especially on such tracks as “Stars Cry” and “Blood Beach.” The band veers into more of an indie, new wave territory with “Old Ways Die,” which features another one of Spillman’s virtuosic solos. With a vocal exchange between May and Fern, the song is a call for change, as a destructive past further fades and a better future gleams from the present. Fern says writing it was a way for the two friends to overcome a challenge presented to both of them, one that was deeply personal. “The only way we were able to effectively address that scenario with each other was while we were writing a song,” Fern says. “To speak very honestly,” May adds, “it was hard and it was messy.” “But it was also like, if this helped us heal, it will help other people heal,” Fern contin- ues. “And it’s our duty to make that happen and to create that reality where our healing will allow other people to heal.” The album comes to a soothing close with “Surprise Me.” It’s like a wave goodbye, the listening experience ushered to its end with a soft exhale. It was a clever choice to cap off the work, tying together the lyrical themes while leaving listeners wanting more — so much so, you may end up turning back to the fi rst track and staring it all over again. Fortunately, you’ll get to hear it live at Globe Hall during the release show. And this band is killer live. We can’t wait to hear a live rendition of “Midnight,” which gets proggy, doomy even, with Spillman delivering a sonic attack be- fore Fern lets out a soaring cry that pierces like a blade. This one is a headbanger, for sure. And then there’s “The Tower,” which evokes the Tarot card of the same name.u. Similar to the Three of Swords, the Tower represents change. “That’s the universe be- ing like, ‘It’s about to suck so, so bad,’” May says, “but you’re going to be grateful. But you’re not going to know why.” “It’s about letting go. Let go or it’s going to get ripped out of your hands. It’s just your decision is how hard the rope burns as it leaves your hands,” Fern adds. “That’s the only choice you have — how bad it hurts when it leaves. Because the Tower card is about letting existing structures crumble to make space for the new.” “That song is the perfect example of us as artists trying to invoke a clear picture of what’s happening,” May says. “We want the listener to see and hear and feel and understand what it’s like for that Tower to crumble down. It’s vulnerable.” Music is how May Be Fern makes that space. It’s also how the band lets go, rebuilds, renews and heals. It’s how May, Fern and Spillman make magic. They realize there’s an ineffable quality embedded in their songs, and that kind of sorcery can only rise from the type of deep connection they share. “We’re not talking about trauma bonds; we’re talking about something much deeper,” Fern says. “That’s what healing to- gether does. The magic of community is that it’s not so scary when you have a shoulder to lean on. ... We’re putting the magic into the songs. When we create as a unit, we create a feeling that is defi nitely bigger than us. The way that we create alchemy as the three of us is by putting it into music. “Everything about this band and every- thing about the journey,” she concludes, “has been meant to be.” May Be Fern album-release show, 8 p.m. Saturday, September 20, Globe Hall, 4483 Logan Street. Tickets are $16 in advance, $20 at the door. The band played the main stage at Pride. May Be Fern will celebrate its new album at Globe Hall on Saturday, September 20. Music continued from page 15 BRANDON JOHNSON (@BJOHNSONXAR) JOHN MCSWEENEY
