| While ‘Weird Years: Season 1’ signalled an inspired rebirth for Brighton’s electro/indie poppers Fickle Friends, its upcoming second instalment proves that it was no one season wonder. Set to be released on May 7th, ‘Weird Years: Season 2’ was recently teased by the single ‘Not In The Mood’, winning the band a wealth of new playlist adds across Spotify and Apple. Fickle Friends now accentuate the attention growing around ‘Season 2’ by sharing the new single ‘Cosmic Coming of Age’. As with the best of the band’s material, the song’s modernist production gleams with a hit of ‘80s synth-pop, a blend that infuses their contemporary lyrical themes with an evocative and nostalgic edge. While the emotions it expresses are serious, the music bounces with an escapist energy – especially as the life-affirming hook goes stratospheric. Vocalist Natti Shiner explains, “‘Cosmic Coming of Age’ is about that transitional period in life where everything seems to fall apart, a kind of quarter life crisis. One moment you have everything together, the next it feels like you have to start life from scratch. In horoscope astrology this is seen as the time of reaching full adulthood, and man does the universe make you work for it! This song is full of lyrical visuals and is best heard on your car stereo, driving into a sunset.” ‘Cosmic Coming of Age’ is released alongside an official video, which puts the spotlight firmly on Natti’s charismatic, impassioned performance. In just three-and-a-half minutes, Natti appears to experience every single emotion that she describes across ‘Weird Years’, from despair and borderline madness to joy and the exhilaration of performing. The video was directed by the band’s own Jack Wilson. Watch HERE. The track also represents a key moment in the creation of ‘Season 2’. As the world adjusted to a time that has somehow become both weird and immensely dull, Shiner’s own life became a time of dramatic transition. She became fascinated by the idea of Saturn Return, the astrological event which some believe can spark a quarter-life crisis, an idea which influenced the new songs. Collectively ‘Season 2’ puts a fresh slant on the confessional style of ‘Season 1’, which focused on everything that has happened to Fickle Friends since releasing their Top 10 debut album ‘You Are Someone Else’ in 2018. It took them back to Radio 1’s airwaves with support and multiple spins from Annie Mac, Jack Saunders and more. ‘Weird Years: Season 2’ is now available to pre-save here. The ‘Weird Years’ concept is also set to be extended into a full album project, which is expected to follow later this year. Fickle Friends are also poised to unveil details of their first full live shows since December 2019. |