The Fratellis have today released ‘Half Drunk Under A Full Moon’, the exuberant title track from their forthcoming album which arrives in two weeks on April 2 (moved from April 9) on Cooking Vinyl. The multi-platinum Glasgow trio recently announced their rescheduled UK tour dates, now happening during March & April 2022.
| Gloriously OTT, ‘Half Drunk Under A Full Moon’ features harpsichord, brass, swirling strings, massed backing vocals and lashing of percussion. There are nods to Anthony Newley and Tony Visconti, references to Johnny Depp and Cinderella and a bonkers break in debt to Neil Diamond on which frontman Jon Fratelli proclaims ‘Yes!’ more than 20 times. In spirit, it’s as much stage musical as it is pop song. “There’s really nothing that doesn’t make it in there,” comments Jon. “How our producer Tony Hoffer managed to balance it all is beyond me. Some songs you waver on whether to underplay or overplay and on that we went for broke. It had to be ridiculous or not exist at all. When a ludicrous lyric pops in my mind, my instinct is to laugh, leave it and expect to replace it later. Rhyming quickstep with Johnny Depp is obviously nonsense, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s simply in the sillier realm of fiction. I could have spent weeks trying to change it and never come close to anything as memorable. “The middle section came to me on a rare day of Glasgow sunshine. I knew the song needed another part, but I’d had no joy finding it until one day I, er, might have had a little bit of acid. I’m talking the kind of dose that makes you work – a Silicon Valley dose. Okay, maybe a little more. That’s when the idea arrived, so it was totally worth it.” ‘Half Drunk Under A Full Moon’ follows previous singles ‘Six Days In June’, ‘Action Replay’, and latest single ‘Need A Little Love’, which all feature on the new album. Following the UK Top 5 success of 2018’s critically-lauded ‘In Your Own Sweet Time’, which contained the Radio 2 playlisted single ‘Starcrossed Losers’, The Fratellis began work on its audacious follow-up in buoyant form. Recorded in LA with producer and long-time collaborator Tony Hoffer (Beck, Phoenix, Supergrass), ‘Half Drunk Under A Full Moon’ is a treasure trove of excess that shouts from the rooftops and radiates joy. “On the last record we broadened our sound by trying out new ideas,” says Jon. “With this album, the plan was to push those ideas even further.” The Fratellis were gearing up to release ‘Half Drunk Under A Full Moon’ when the pandemic put paid to their plans. Lead single ‘Six Days In June’ hit the airwaves, revealing the trio’s jubilant new direction, just weeks before the world shut down. “We had a whole year’s worth of work that didn’t happen, but we knew it would come back around,” says Jon Fratelli, the band’s singer and songwriter. “As a band who have a loyal audience we know we’re in a fortunate position.” As the return of live music creeps closer, The Fratellis are primed to prove the power of pop to lift spirits and kickstart celebrations. “People are desperate to go back to gigs,” says Jon. “By pure chance, we’ve made an album that could really suit that mood of joy and release.” The Fratellis formed in Glasgow in 2005 and comprise of lead vocalist/guitarist Jon with bassist/backing vocalist Barry Fratelli, and drummer/backing vocalist Mince Fratelli. Their 2006 debut album ‘Costello Music’ – which contained the globe-conquering hit “Chelsea Dagger” – quickly went double-platinum and led to The Fratellis winning the Brit Award for British Breakthrough Act in 2007. A successful second album ‘Here We Stand’ followed in 2008, but this whirlwind of success came at a cost, and by the end of the decade the trio had split, burnt out from their relentless life on the road. Since reforming in 2012, The Fratellis have gone from strength to strength, winning over a new generation of fans and enjoying a more sustainable type of success. ‘Half Drunk Under A Full Moon’ finds The Fratellis at ease with who they are and where they are: a band who have not only survived but thrived, and are making the best, most confident, most ambitious music of their career. |
| The Fratellis ‘Half Drunk Under A Full Moon’ 1. Half Drunk Under a Full Moon 2. Need a Little Love 3. Lay Your Body Down 4. The Last Songbird 5. Strangers In The Street 6. Living In The Dark 7. Action Replay 8. Six Days In June 9. Oh Roxy 10. Hello Stranger |
