Faux Real, aka cropped-top brothers Elliott and Virgile Arndt, question exactly what it says on the tin: Is this for real? The Franco-American are gearing up for the release of their sophomore album Poison Time arriving this September. But in the meantime, the two continue to treat life as they see fit: delightfully absurd.
Faux Real, aka cropped-top brothers Elliott and Virgile Arndt, question exactly what it says on the tin: Is this for real? We’ll never know for sure, it’s all delightfully absurd. The Franco-American duo describe themselves as “method musicians”, treating life as pastiche, satire and surrealism. It’s impossible not to smile. Their frenetic, art-pop performances involve hip-shaking and high-kicks delivered with the theatricality of performance art. In the music video for recent single “That Far”, a gargantuan tongue is getting intimate with the floor, blood spills out of mouths and there’s tightly-synced choreography only brothers could pull off. With sophomore album Poison Time arriving this September, Faux Real fall further into their warped reality. Recorded at home in LA, the album threads identity, self-perception and authenticity through astute hooks and stylised world-building, tightening the tension that makes the band so compelling. Having already hit the road with Wet Leg and Metronomy, catch the duo on tour across New York, LA, London andEurope from June through November. Trigger warning: dancing is more or less inevitable.
What’s your earliest memory of music having an effect on you?
When we were kids, we went to see a sword-and-sandal play in a parking lot. Cleopatra bathed in milk. At the end, they catapulted an upright piano and it crashed down with the most fantastic noise we’d ever heard. We took pieces of the carcass home and used to pluck the detuned strings of this enigmatic sound skeleton. This was Faux Real’s musical ground zero.
What does it mean to you to be original?
To be unbothered by other people’s takes on originality. Make things and fuck the critics.
When did you last get in trouble?
When we tried to auto-tune Étienne Daho’s voice on our remix of “Weekend À Rome”.
What’s turning you on creatively right now?
Bad movies, back catalogues and counterfeits.
What’s been your greatest act of artistic rebellion?
Doing away with certain expectations about how our music should be performed and what it should look like. Getting rid of live instruments in favour of choreography, with no prior experience. It’s fun to find subversion in whatever ways you can.
WONDERLAND SUMMER 2026. GUEST EDITED BY MILEY CYRUS. SHOP NOW.
Photography Mario Sorrenti
Chief Creative Officer & Styling Alastair McKimm
Words Ella Bardsley
Hair Bob Recine
Make-up Diane Kendal
Set Design Philipp Haemmerle
Executive Producer Dana Brockman
Producer Max Bonbrest
Casting Alexandra Antonova for Samuel Ellis Scheinman
Lighting Technician Lars Beaulieu
1st Photo Assistant Kotaro Kawashima
Photo Assistants Paolo Afante, Kurt Mangum
Digital Tech Charles Meyer
Fashion Assistants Taylor Wood, Kassidy Taylor
Hair Assistant Jeelan Aleem
Make-up Assistants Eduardo Jiminez, Breanna Harmon
Set Assistants Oscar Haemmerle, Xavier Mozejewski
Production Assistant Din Morris
