BF/C was formed in San Francisco in 2015, by Barish Firatli and Joel Igor Hammad Magnusson (aka Californiaman), the sons of many nations and even more musical genres. Bridging continents and genres with cinematic flair and poetic depth, Barish hailing from Gothenburg and Joel from Sweden’s vibrant music scene.

Steeped in drum machines, synth, acoustic guitar, and smouldering bass, and born from a community of amazing musicians, artists, and producers, BF/C maneuvers in electropop painted in warm, vivid colours. With the crooning swagger of Rod Stewart, retro slick influences like Roxy Music and INXS, and the raw, shimmering sex of Fine Young Cannibals, the duo invokes desire, seduction, and longing in equal parts.

Releases and career highlights

BF/C has released two full-length LPs: The Unexpected Consequences of Feathers ( 2019, Tamiami Records) and Valet (2021, Tamiami Records). They also have a Swedish EP, Den Goda människan I Sequan (2017, Golden State of Mind Productions) and an EP, BF/C (2016, Golden State of Mind Productions). A third full-length album is forthcoming in 2025 after waterfall releasing all songs.

They have carved a unique path with standout blog and playlist buzz surrounding their debut single Temple and its follow-up, Upstate. Their song Year of the Rat gained prominence in a long-running Swedish cinema commercial, and they've brought their electrifyingly intimate performances to stages as far-flung as Istanbul, Stockholm, and Vancouver. Along the way, they’ve collaborated with icons like Kleerup and Nicolai Dunger, while Joel has also toured with acts like Wyclef Jean, Hoffmaestro, and Timo Räisänen.

The past

Barish’s formative years were spent between piano lessons in Sweden and vocal training in California, where Buddhist-infused coaching cultivated his distinct voice. Joel, a bassist-turned-producer, honed his craft at Svenska Grammofonstudion, creating music with luminaries before finding his own artistic voice. When the two reunited in San Francisco years after their first meeting, they realized the alchemy of their creative partnership, and BF/C was born.

The future

BF/C aims to tour three wherever the music leads, and has set their sights on film, TV, and theatre placements, crafting music that tells its own stories and amplifies others. Above all, for as long as the music invites them, their focus remains on crafting songs that speak a new language, with textures and sounds that reach beyond words.

A band that defies easy categorization, BF/C offers music that is at once timeless and unmistakably their own.