Small Fools

Small Fools is the cosmic classically-inflected folk collaboration of sibling songwriting duo Nathan and Ruthie Prillaman. Inspired by the whimsical intersections between antiquity and futurism, their musical world draws from an eclectic well of folk, bluegrass, choral music, and medieval polyphony, interwoven with ecstatic synthesizers and dreamy electronics. They experiment with unusual and historical instruments ranging from a medieval string drum they built themselves to modular synthesizers. Small Fools was born out of a lifelong collaboration extending back into their childhoods, playing in rock bands and jazz combos, composing musicals and contributing to film scores. As Small Fools, they began exploring their personal preoccupations with ancient mythology, medieval literature, and technological modernity, arriving on a musical sound that allowed them to poke at existential questions with a sense of whimsy and self-awareness. In 2023, they released their first single, existentialist folk song Horseradish, followed by an EP of transportation-inspired cosmic motets called Crying in My Subaru.