Like a dose of sonic sunshine, winking to yesterday while dancing across 2018 with a smile, Fickle Friends make their steadfast debut on Friday, March 16, 2018, thanks to Polydor Records.
Formed in 2013 in Brighton, England, Fickle Friends wasted no time in getting to work on songwriting and perfecting their Indie Pop, electronic-infused infectious craft. Ultimately, the result was 2015’s Velvet EP, followed by 2017’s Glue EP, proving to the world that these kids are anything but, well, fickle. Having already performed over 500 shows in their five-year career span, Fickle Friends have shared stages with the likes of Stereophonics, The Killers, Two Door Cinema Club, The Wombats, Haim, and Halsey, among many, many more. Needless to say, their dogged determination and unique talents have led to over 40 million streams on Spotify alone, along with praise from the entertainment media and a growing legion of dedicated fans across the globe.
What’s next for Fickle Friends – Vocalist/Keyboardist Natassja Shiner, Lead Guitarist Chris Hall, Bassist Harry Herrington, Drummer Sam Morris, and Keyboardist Jack Wilson – is the release of their much-anticipated debut, full-length disc, You Are Someone Else. The sixteen-song collection lyrically tackles the universal topics of toxic relationships with both friends and lovers, along with feelings of worthlessness and other mental health issues. Packed with hooks, vibrant, technicolor sounds, and Shiner’s infectiously upbeat vocals, this is a collection that promises the world for these Fickle Friends.
You Are Someone Else kicks off to the addictive sound of failure, “Wake Me Up.” Glittery keyboards, deep bass-lines, and Shiner’s luminous vocals merge together to form this guaranteed hit. A feather in the cap of Fickle Friends’ sound, this is a truly delicious toe-tapper that segues flawlessly into the magnetic “Glue,” a spirited good time that feels like an excuse to break out the disco ball; this feels like a free love romp through summer in the clubs of the ‘70s.
“Swim” goes for a more rocking sound, while the syrupy sweetness of “Bite” is entirely ‘80s Dance-Pop. Crack open a cold one, “Hard To Be Myself” is the admission that partying can open up a new side of us introverts. Which might explain why so many of the insecure are “Lovesick” (“Nothing makes senses when I’m not with you”), which in this case sees some seriously funky bass-lines weaving throughout the core of its bopping body. In turn, Shiner’s vocals soar on “Say No More,” before she delves into the ironically upbeat shake of “Heartbroken.”
“In My Head (Ditty)” is just that, a little vocal ditty that leads into the right-round spin of “Rotation.” This all flows beautifully into the upbeat invitation of “Hello Hello,” a relationship cycling around like a roller-rink path. Meanwhile, Shiner goes to the lower end of her vocal register for the meandering, mid-tempo “Paris,” before the locational tributes continue with “Brooklyn,” which sounds better than the New York borough looks. (Sorry, Brooklynites!) “Midnight” sees Fickle Friends delving a little deeper into the low end, sonically speaking, for this breezy little dancer before they close out the collection with the midtempo nod of “She,” and the ruthless bass groove of “Useless.”
On You Are Someone Else, Fickle Friends dance through the decades; there are moments dashed with Disco and spun in the candy-floss of Dance Pop, alongside Indie-infused meanderings into the ‘70s and ‘80s that totally bop. Hell, even the album’s cover looks like a Patrick Nagel-crafted, Duran Duran-inspired artistic rendering. How can you not love that? Hungry like wolves for an infectious (sonic) epidemic, Fickle Friends are saccharine sweet, candy-coated Indie Pop that takes the very best of yesterday’s dance-floor antics and injects a full-on dose of modernism into that neon, spandex-adorned picture. A delicious nominee for your newest not-quite-guilty pleasure, musically speaking, Fickle Friends have pizzazz in spades. For these reasons, CrypticRock give Fickle Friends’ You Are Someone Else 4 of 5 stars.
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