In the spring of 2018, Franco-American brothers Elliott and Virgile Arndt invoked the union of their inner gene genies and gave birth to Faux Real. As they conceived it, Faux Realism combines elements of post-punk, glam rock, and contemporary R&B with a unique sense of humor, boy band tropes, and a forward-thinking approach to modern pop culture.

Far before releasing any music, Faux Real began performing live, wooing half-confused, half-amused crowds one unconventional venue at a time. Building on a lifetime of inside jokes and shared mp3 libraries, the Arndt brothers created a signature show that simultaneously fetishizes, destroys, and re-invents their kinship through compelling choreography, playfully exploring the boundaries of duality, ridicule, and sexuality.

Faux Real quickly earned a reputation for their wild and unhinged avant-garde anti-rock performances, rewriting the rulebook as they went along, performing anywhere the city allows, from sweaty nightclubs and house parties to street corners and illegal raves, sometimes even hijacking existing concert bills with impromptu slots. Circumstances dictated strict minimalism and so Faux Real embraced it, opting for a hyper-simple backing track set-up more akin to the staging of a hip-hop event than a trad rock ‘n’ roll show. Indeed, Faux Real’s trademark Augmented Karaoke™ sees Elliott and Virgile mixing absurdist Frenglish poetry and Stooge-esque self-flagellation with ersatz athletics and improvised quasi-ballet.

Without a single confirmed show on the horizon, and their music yet to be released, Faux Real embarked on a month-long US tour in early 2019, armed with nothing but high hopes, low expectations, and their enigmatic briefcase, Ferguson Videostar. Remarkably, a flurry of poorly planned but extremely infectious iterations of Faux Realism ensued. Thirty shows later, a fervent Faux Real fan base was born.

Those devoted followers acted as the main source of promotion for Faux Real’s day-of/last-minute show announcements. With a cultivated sense of mystery surrounding their music, the word-of-mouth system led to increasingly more anticipated gatherings, leaving inquisitive attendees no other option but to simply trust their curiosity and revel in the performance.

Faux Real’s revolutionary approach to the project firmly places them in traditions inherited from the underground, subverting time-tested formulas to suit their needs as modern artists. In character both on and off-stage, their rigorously matching attire is but one of many facets that makes them true Method Musicians™. For Elliott and Virgile Arndt, embodying Faux Realism is an obsessive pursuit.