Matte Namer (bass & vocals) and Frankie Rex (guitar & vocals) are two individuals whose respective journeys intertwined. “We realized our voices had this incredible synergy, and both didn’t identify as cis-gender,” Matte recounts. Their friendship, their desire for self-expression, and their mutual influences of A Perfect Circle, New Order, St. Vincent, and Elliott Smith form the foundation of The FMs. Frankie and Matte, like their musical heroes, look to subvert the societal perspective of “normality” to raise the voices of “the other.”
Though they spent years cutting their teeth across Brooklyn (including Namer helping start the new House of Yes in Bushwick — one of the bathrooms is even named after them!), the duo now each resides in Ithaca, NY, attracted to the vibrant, artistic queer community there.
“As our songwriting evolved, I think we allowed ourselves to be characters in our own stories,” Matte explains. The FMs firmly believe the personal is political, doing so with zestful songwriting, irrepressible hooks and fierce intent. It’s the kind of vital combination that’s surprisingly rare and needed in the world now more than ever.