Allow me to introduce you to Fletcher Shears, also known as PUZZLE. If you are interested in a new artist that encapsulates the indie garage band vibe, then this is the artist for you! Shears served as a member of The Garden (a band with their twin brother Wyatt) and has now taken on a new solo project, hence PUZZLE. This project is being celebrated by the release of a new album this month titled The Rotten Opera. I’ve been hooked on it ever since the release, it is truly banger after banger. If you feel compelled to listen to the new album, you may want to know more about the artist behind this stellar body of work. So, let’s dive in!
The Pieces of The Puzzle
The Orange County native started making music with his brother when he was young. He considered music as a family thing, picking up instruments that were lying around. It quickly evolved from a family pastime to a full flagged passion when he started in his band in 2011. He and his brother had created a whole new genre of music that elevates themselves as musicians called “Vada Vada.”
Our genre is a little hard to describe. We call it Vada Vada—we made it up. It’s really our own universe…it’s hard to say if it’s punk or rap so we just gave it a new name.
Fletcher Shears
Shear’s work over the years has impressed me with how little he uses to make such a unique sound. In an interview with Cherry Garage, he mentions how Garageband, an apple music creation studio, was the primary source of using all of his creations. His music has an experimental, hardcore punk, and grunge sound, along with his unique voice. His ever-growing output defines his sound but also leaves us wondering what else he will create next.
PUZZLE YSL DISCOVERY:
But his artistic talent doesn’t end in music. Shears signed a modeling deal with the high fashion brand Yves Saint Laurent. He was discovered by a recruiter in LA during one of their shows. The recruiter had passed on their images to Slimane, who is their current manager. Funny enough, Shears had felt he wasn’t cut out for modeling. It was from that moment he had risen to stardom.
The shows that we were playing before we were discovered by YSL—and I’m definitely not saying YSL contributed to all of the popularity that’s forming around the Garden right now—but we were playing shows that no one would come out to see basically
Fletcher Shears
This man just must not sleep! Despite his many artistic commitments, he views PUZZLE as more of a side project, trying to release music when he can. His main focus is his band, The Garden. I want to think of it as more content for his dedicated fans of him as an artist, and we are just eating the album up. He does plan to go on tour this coming month with shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Tucson. So, if you are curious about his solo project to live? I highly recommend going to the show. I can tell you it’s a different vibe, but totally worth seeing!