As 2009 draws to a close, for Robert and David Perlick-Molinari (aka French Horn Rebellion), two brothers born and bred in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the world is a very different place to the one that started it. Since the recent release of their debut single “Up All Night”, FHR have been swept along by a flurry of accolades from radio, press and bloggers alike, including a Record of the Week from BBC Radio 1’s Nick Grimshaw and the coveted Single of the Week slot in French music bible Les Inrockuptibles, who described the band’s sound as the “euphoric soundtrack to 2010”. Now back in their current residence of Brooklyn, NY, after a whistle stop trip to Europe for a series of madcap shows and radio interviews, FHR are already planning a speedy return with “Beaches & Friends”, their new EP (with a difference) and recent Hype Machine No.1 slated for a Feb release. And with the brothers currently cooped up in their studio lairs concocting some brand new musical potions for their forthcoming debut album, all bodes rather well for 2010.

“Up All Night”, released on new UK indie Once Upon A Time Records, also received radio plays from the likes of Kissy Sellout, Alex Metric, new boys Jaymo & Andy George and Zane Lowe on Radio 1 and from XFM tastemakers Eddie Temple Morris and John Kennedy. Mixmag made it Electro Tune of the Month, Artrocker gave it 5 stars for its “sparkling synths and vocal bridges of epic scale” and to top things off French label Kitsuné chose it for the highly prestigious opening slot on their latest Kitsuné Maison 8 Compilation. FHR also found themselves fans outside music circles, most notably in Graham Linehan, comedy writer (IT Crowd, The Fast Show) and member of Twitter’s royalty, who tweets about the band at every opportunity.

New single “Beaches & Friends” co-written with Brazilian duo Database, friends and recent touring mates of FHR, is not quite what you would expect though. Robert explains: “The coolest thing about ‘Beaches & Friends’ is that the original track doesn’t actually exist. It was the result of a big collaboration between us and a bunch of our friends. We and Database came up with the vocal hooks and synth lines, and from there all the different versions were created. The French Horn Rebellion NYC version, Database’s Club Edit, the Twelves’ Radio and Remix versions, and finally the Hey Champ Remix. Every track is a variation on a theme, a similar idea to Edward Elgar’s “Enigma Variations.” In fact the Beaches & Friends EP is kind of a modern-day Enigma Variations.” For David: “it’s a story about the search for your muse.”

In 2007, younger brother Robert, an accomplished French horn player, found himself as principal horn chair of the prestigious Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra. Standing at a crossroads, and fundamentally frustrated by the demands of mastering such an instrument (that he knew would never allow him to fully express himself), he finally asked his brother David to rebel with him, and together they embarked on a lifelong creative journey. That journey is well under way.