''San Fermin'' is the debut album by

chamber pop Chamber pop (also called baroque pop and sometimes conflated with orchestral pop or symphonic pop) is a music genre that combines rock music with the intricate use of strings, horns, piano, and vocal harmonies, and other components drawn from t ...

collective San Fermin. It was developed, written, and produced by composer Ellis Ludwig-Leone and performed by a loose collection of New York-based musicians who performed Ludwig-Leone's composition under the name San Fermin. An official band came about after the recording of the record. San Fermin received critical acclaim from outlets including ''

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'' and ''

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''.

Development

After graduating from Yale in 2011, Ludwig-Leone retreated to Canada's secluded

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, where he wrote what would eventually become ''San Fermin.'' He wrote most of the record between October and December 2011. He returned to New York and began recording the album, completing the recording sessions during July 2012. Nineteen people made up San Fermin in the recording process, in addition to other musical contributors. These included Ellis Ludwig-Leone, singer

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, saxophonist Stephen Chen, and trumpeter John Brandon who would form the core San Fermin the next decade. Additionally, acclaimed contemporary classical musicians

Caroline Shaw Caroline Adelaide Shaw (born August 1, 1982) is an American composer of contemporary classical music, violinist, and singer. She won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Music for her a cappella piece '' Partita for 8 Voices''. Shaw received the 2022 G ...

Rob Moose Rob Moose (born 1982) is an American multi-instrumentalist, arranger, producer, conductor, and orchestrator. He primarily plays the violin, viola, and guitar. Early life and education Moose was born in 1982. He was raised in Windsor, Connec ...

, and

Nadia Sirota Nadia Sirota (born in New York City, New York) is an American viola player. Her father is Robert Sirota, a composer and Conducting, conductor. Life and career Sirota is best known for her singular sound and expressive execution, coaxing solo ...

took part in the recording process.

Release and reception

Initially, Ludwig-Leone intended San Fermin to be a one-off composition project. However, after debuting the record live in December, Ludwig-Leone received a record deal offer from

Downtown Records Downtown Records is an American record label based in New York City with offices in Los Angeles. Owned and operated by Josh Deutsch and Terence Lam, the label is distributed by Interscope Capitol Labels Group (formerly Geffen Records, Interscope ...

that made him reconsider the scope of the ''San Fermin'' project. San Fermin released their lead single "Sonsick" on December 4, 2012, premiering it on the music blog ''Beats Per Minute''. ''

'' gave the single a positive review, declaring the song "deliriously infectious." The full record was intended to be self-released in February 2013, but, after signing to Downtown Records, the release was pushed back first to June then to the September of that year. San Fermin released the album on September 17, 2013, to positive reviews.

called the record "one of the year's most surprising, ambitious, evocative and moving records," praising Ludwig-Leone for his ability to write a collection of songs "as easy to love as they are to admire." ''Pitchfork'' also gave the album a positive review. The album reached #18 on the ''Billboard''

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album chart. In 2013, the band also released a track-by-track album of commentary album featuring Ludwig-Leone.

Track listing

All tracks produced and written by Ellis Ludwig-Leone.

Personnel

Adapted from liner notes. San Fermin *

– vocals *

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Holly Laessig Lucius is an American four-piece indie pop band. The group was founded in 2007 by lead vocalists Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, joined by drummer Dan Molad, guitarist Peter Lalish, and, formerly, multi-instrumentalist Andrew Burri. Originating in ...

) – vocals, background vocals * Helen McCreary – background vocals * Gabriella Tortorello – background vocals * Emily Misch – background vocals * Stephen Chen – saxophone * John Brandon – trumpet * Jennifer Griggs – trombone * Brian Reese – trombone * Matthew Fried – tuba *

– violin *

– viola * Clarice Jensen – cello * Helen Kashap – harmonium * Ellis Ludwig-Leone – piano, keyboards * Nathan Prillaman – guitar * Nick Jenkins – drums Additional musicians * Nathan Petitpas – glockenspiel, vibraphone, bass drum * Laura Bowler – additional vocals (10) * Alex Goodman – additional acoustic guitar (6) * Dan Molad – additional percussion (1) Technical and production * Ellis Ludwig-Leone – producer, engineer, design concept * Dan Molad – additional production, engineer * Eric Elterman – engineer * Chris Camilieri – engineer * Joe Fingerote – engineer * Jeff Lipton – mastering engineer * Maria Rice – assistant mastering engineer * Stephen Halker – design concept, album art * Thomas Winkler – management

References

{{Authority control 2013 debut albums