| ‘Love You To Death’ stated that Fickle Friends are back with a vengeance, and sure to make a big impact when their second album ‘Are We Gonna Be Alright?’ is released on January 14th. A rush of tastemaker tips quickly followed, with airplay at both Radio 1 (Jack Saunders) and 6 Music (Lauren Laverne), numerous Spotify playlists (including New Music Friday, The Indie List and Indie Brandneu), and coverage from The Line of Best Fit, Dork and 1883 Magazine. Now Fickle Friends provide a second taste of what to expect from the album as they share the new song ‘Alone’, which is one of the personal favourites from the set. Listen HERE. Capturing the life-affirming unity of being reunited post lockdown, ‘Alone’ is a rousing rush in which every lyric captures the chaos of a house party. Shimmering with luminous synths, intoxicating vocal harmonies and feelgood fe ver, this is maximalist alt-pop at its most elated. It was written by Fickle Friends and was produced by the band’s guitarist Jack Wilson. Vocalist Natti Shiner says, “‘Alone’ was such a joy to write. The sun was shining, we were in our little studio by the sea. We started messing around with this kinda elevator music vibe and I remember starting to mumble the verse lyrics and melody out of nowhere, and we literally just ran with it. I think we had the whole thing written that afternoon. Conceptually it’s about wanting to trap all of your friends in your house and throw a big party and never let them leave! The lockdown aftershocks were getting to us that day and I just thought, I never wanna feel alone ever again.” While ‘Alone’ and ‘Love You To Death’ bring to mind entirely different genres, they both share an irrepressible lust for life that’s contagious. And that’s a spirit which sparkles throughout the rest of ‘Are We Gonna Be Alright?’. A reaction to the tumultuous experience of the past 18 months, the album’s other highlights include ‘Not Okay’, which unpredictably leaps from hard-hitting beats to a downbeat croon in the blink of an eye, while ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah’ thrills with its visceral and angsty electro-punk. It’s an album that tells tales of the band’s experiences over the past two years: from break-ups, sanity-questioning levels of anxiety, and the frustration of lockdowns, to the unadorned joy of being back together as a band again. ‘Are We Gonna Be Alright?’ is available to pre-order here. The band’s official store offers exclusive signed bundles including CD, coloured vinyl, cassette and a bonus CD. A marbled blue vinyl edition is also available via select indie stores. After playing an intimate album teaser show at the Sebright Arms which sold-out immediately, Fickle Friends will kick-start 2022 with a major headline tour in January. Tickets are available HERE. The band’s previous live highlights have included sold-out London headline shows at the O2 Kentish Town Forum and the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, playing to rammed tents at the Reading and Leeds Festivals, and performing at the gargantuan Alexandra Palace as guests to The Kooks. Fickle Friends first established their reputation entirely independently, touring extensively throughout the UK and Europe before hitting the Top 10 with their major label debut album ‘You Are Someone Else’. They’ve since returned to their DIY roots and broadened the scope of their sound with two seasons of the ‘Weird Years’ EP series. It earned the band widespread critical acclaim as they exceeded 120 million career streams. TOUR DATES – JANUARY 2022 13th – Brighton, Chalk 14th – Birmingham, O2 Academy 15th – Newcastle, University (basement) 17th – Glasgow, SWG3 18th – Manchester, Club Academy 20th – Nottingham, Rescue Rooms 21st – Cambridge, Junction 22nd – Norwich, The Waterfront 24th – Leeds, Brudenell Social Club 25th – Bristol, Thekla 27th – London, Electric Brixton |
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