After releasing his debut album as SYML last year, Brian Fennell continued putting new music out into the world with three new singles before the end of 2019. He wastes no time with more new music as 2020 is barely two weeks old and another single release is upon us.
"Flags" takes on the very difficult subject matter of cancer. I first heard SYML perform this song back in June last year when I caught his show in Toronto and it was quite the emotional moment. Fennell has taken to expressing his feelings about his own experience watching loved ones battle this disease through his music. He explains what shaped the song: "I struggle with things that seem supernatural but are actually very natural. Cancer is one of those natural things. Nature is undiscerning and unforgiving. Cancer is raw and shapes the landscape of our lives. The metaphors run deep but they don't make mourning someone any less painful, especially before they leave us. I wrote 'Flags' like I write many of my songs, as a form of therapy to deal with people in my life who have battled cancer. The song is from the perspective of the body experiencing cancer. We meet pain and hopelessness with community and fight, and the fight is meaningful. Cancer fucking sucks and life is beautiful."
As is the case with much of SYML's catalog, Fennell takes difficult subjects we all have or will face in life and shares his experiences through his beautiful music. It's this emotional connection that draws me so deep into his music and he has quickly become a favorite songwriter of mine. Check out the studio version of "Flags" above and a stunning live performance of the song filmed in Brussels in October 2019 below.
"Flags" was released January 10th, 2020.
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