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On The Table Read Magazine, “the best entertainment eBook magazine UK“, Fake Dad explore reinvention and societal critique through vibrant characters with the biting single “Machinery” calling out the music industry’s commodification of women.
In the vibrant sprawl of Los Angeles, with roots stretching back to the gritty streets of New York City, indie rock-dream pop duo Fake Dad—Andrea de Varona (she/her) and Josh Ford (he/him)—are carving out a space that’s as colorful as it is introspective. Formed in 2020 after a serendipitous meeting at a college party in the East Village, the pair have since become inseparable, blending their distinct artistic visions into a shared sonic language.
Their music—a heady mix of catchy pop hooks, crunchy ‘90s-inspired guitars, grooving basslines, and buoyant synths—pulses with a distinctive production style and a vocal delivery that feels both intimate and expansive. From their apartment studio, Andrea and Josh craft songs that don’t just entertain; they aim to understand you.
Over the past year, Fake Dad have turned their gaze toward a peculiar fascination: posers in rock music. The idea of an artist pretending to be someone they’re not might sound like a critique, especially in a genre where authenticity is often fetishized. But for Andrea and Josh, it’s a revelation. Digging into the legacies of their musical heroes, they’ve uncovered a truth: rock has always been a playground for reinvention. PJ Harvey roared about being “man-sized” despite her petite frame; Stevie Nicks donned a witchy persona to shatter gender norms; Tina Turner transformed from background singer to untouchable icon; LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy played the extrovert while wrestling with introversion; and David Bowie, well, he was an alien.
These artists didn’t just perform—they became, finding truth within the façade. Since early 2024, Fake Dad have embraced this ethos, writing through the lens of characters to explore the sonic landscapes of rock, punk, and new wave, while uncovering deeper layers of themselves.
“Machinery” is about the pressure for women in music to package themselves as consumable, f*ckable products just to be taken seriously—and how that pits them against each other and themselves. This angry, teeth-grinding rock/pop track was written right after an industry showcase where every girl performing wore the exact same spike-studded bra—too concerned with sizing each other up to actually have a good time. As they eyed each other with loathing and borderline obsession, I stood in the corner feeling really sad that nobody was trying to connect, which is what we were all supposedly there to do.
This song was written as a response to the way this kind of woman on woman (or more generally, artist on artist) hate perpetuates these spaces while the real culprits—our sick, sad society governed by narcissistic, billionaire white men—totally fly under the radar. In the end, the man is the real one we’re calling out. The one that we’re sick and tired of watching get what they want, while we sit back eating from their palm.
–Andrea, Fake Dad
Their new EP, Holly Wholesome and the Slut Machine, is a testament to this evolution. Within its tracks, Andrea and Josh conjure a vivid, fictional world populated by burger-flipping clowns seething with rage, star-crossed knights, and masked sleep paralysis demons. Yet beneath the whimsy lies raw honesty. The duo realized that these characters were vessels for processing their own lived experiences—particularly their identities and sexualities as romantic partners in a straight-passing relationship. The EP’s latest single, “Machinery,” sharpens this lens, delivering a biting commentary on the music industry’s commodification of women.
Fake Dad’s music doesn’t just confront—it connects. With over a dozen official Spotify playlist placements and sold-out shows in both NYC and LA, the duo have built a communal bond with their listeners. Holly Wholesome and the Slut Machine, featuring earlier editorial picks “So Simple!” and “ON/OFF” alongside “Machinery,” marks a bold new chapter. It’s a project that revels in its expansiveness and singularity, hinting at the duo’s ambitious trajectory for 2025 and beyond.
For Andrea and Josh, the act of playing a character isn’t about faking it—it’s about finding something real, both in their art and in themselves. As Fake Dad continue to evolve, they’re proving that sometimes, the truest stories are told through the most unexpected masks.
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