FACING THE FUTURE with Familiar Familiar Faces Faces

STORY & PHOTOS BY OLIVIA PEAY & EMILY CHEN

The sound of guitar riffs, rimshots, piano chords and crescendos vibrate the walls in a bedroom-turned-rehearsal-studio just five minutes away from Cal State Long Beach.

Striving to make their mark in the music industry, boy band Familiar Faces combines indie, alternative and psychedelic rock melodies reminiscent of Tame Impala, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin.

Twin brothers Sean and Chad Bierman are the 19-year-old lead singers, producers, guitarists and songwriters of the band, playing alongside bassist Nonso Ikeji, 21, and drummer Brennan Murray, 19.

Despite being in the beginning stages as a band since its establishment in 2022, the four members of the band have all had a colorful history in music, introducing themselves to different instruments and music genres before the age of 10.

“Originally, I took the guitar as a competition against Sean and started learning a bunch of songs that I would gatekeep from him,” Chad said. “Then as we got older, we called a truce. We started as Splitting Image, then The Bierman Brothers and eventually evolved into Familiar Faces as we met Brennan and Nonso.”

Rehearsals include hours of composing, producing, and finding what flows as a band as they navigate the daunting world of music to rise to stardom. Using every inch of the studio space, the band works together to find a consistent rhythm in routine.

“Chad and I wrote so many songs that we felt bad for Brennan and Nonso because they had so many to memorize,” Sean said. “We decided to make a chord chart so they could read it. After figuring out what we liked as a band, we’re focusing on just a few songs and getting them extra tight rather than learning new ones every practice.”

Much of their production process draws from the twins’ music education, including their time spent at On Stage Music Academy, in the music engineering department at the Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts, and in jam sessions with family and friends.

Their first release, “I Love My Baby Like I Love My Shoes,” was dedicated to the twins’ parents to thank them for supporting their musical endeavors. It combines ‘60s and ‘70s rock, unlike some of their other songs like “I Love You” or “Breaking Through,” which feature more alternative melodies.

“Those are songs we wrote years ago, and we have them under our old name, The Bierman Brothers, so we’re working on a new catalog. We’re trying to stay true to ourselves in our brand and image but push the boundaries in what we’re creating,” Sean said.

Apart from producing as a band, the twins individually compose lyrics by focusing on introspection. Much of what they write is influenced by their personal lives, the actions of their friends, and other musicians they admire.

“I hope people can find what I find in my music when I write it,” Chad said. “I hope it can give people something to love, like how I love that Led Zeppelin has inspired me to make this whole life of music. I hope I can give that experience to others.”

Though Brennan and Nonso have not written any songs recently, they understand the therapeutic value of the songwriting process.

“I feel like a lot of people can’t express themselves the way they want to vocally, so being able to write music can give others that chance to communicate what they feel without having to say it directly,” Nonso said. “I think that’s just the beauty of songwriting, and these guys do it so well.”

Familiar Faces is based in Long Beach, but they sometimes feel like strangers in the music scene. Finding residence among bands whose styles are so unfamiliar to theirs has been one of their challenges as they try to expand their influence.

“A lot of the local bands around here do mostly punk or hard rock, and it’s challenging since we’re trying to focus on the indie psychedelic mix,” Sean said. “It was difficult for us to choose the name Familiar Faces for a while because we play shows with bands that have heavier names.”

The rest of the band emphasized that they feel compelled to cater to those hard-rockloving audiences. To stay true to themselves, the boys aims to create consistent content that aligns with their values.

“We’re not going to settle for anything less than great because we’re all perfectionists. Expect a consistent image very soon because if you look at our Instagram right now, it looks like a Facebook mom’s scrapbook,” Chad joked. “We sat down and talked about who we are on our deepest level, and we want to portray that across our platform.”

“We have a different sound, and we know that,” Brennan added. “We just want to make sure that we’re getting that sound out to people who want to hear it.”

The band looks to attract a larger audience so their music can reach the ears of those unaware of their existence. Constantly rehearsing songs they have written and composed over the years is only one element of their objective.

“The goal is to pioneer in a direction that we are innovating, so when people listen to it, they feel like they’re on that journey with us,” Sean said. “They might think about our songs throughout their day and want to listen to them again.”

Each band member expressed hope that their sound will be a creative process for others besides themselves, so musicians and nonmusicians will feel inspired to create their own music.

In 2023, fans of Familiar Faces can look forward to their live shows, now including vocal and transition effects for a more immersive experience. Instagram posts, reels and stories are constantly in production so the band can share what they are passionate about and engage with curious listeners.

“We’ve been really lucky for people to book us,” Chad said. “We love this whole area of music and are so happy to be a part of it. We’ll do what’s true to us, and our music will find its audience.”