DediKATed PR
After teasing fans with new music for a while now, Fickle Friends have finally dropped their sophomore album Are We Gonna Be Alright?
Back in September, the band announced they would release their new album in the new year and simultaneously released their single “Love You To Death,” which gave fans a sneak peek at the sounds that the band would be exploring on their new record.
And now, with their new album finally here, Fickle Friends explore their emotions with creative sounds and lyrics.
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Beginning with “Love You To Death,” the band plays with groovy and funky sounds, you can’t help but pick up the Prince influence with their guitar work. Almost like a nod to the legend, it’s a solid tune that will have you feeling untouchable.
Things take a turn though with track two though with “Not Okay.” Lead vocalist Natti Shiner greets you with such sweetness and subtlety, but then the track pulls a 180 on you and takes you on an angsty ride filled with infectious drum beats.
The angst continues though with “Write Me a Song,” it’s a reminder of the emo-pop a lot of us grew up with during the early 2000s. But it’s with track four, “Alone,” that brings you back around to Fickle Friends’ all familiar indie-pop sounds and it’s truly a fun ride all while expressing one’s feelings about not wanting to be alone.
Released as a single back in October, Shiner talked about what the inspiration behind the upbeat song was.
“Conceptually it’s about wanting to trap all of your friends in your house and throw a big party and never let them leave,” said Shiner. “The lockdown aftershocks were getting to us that day and I just thought, I never wanna feel alone ever again.”
Track five “Glow” and track six “Pretty Great” continues the upbeat pace and circles back to more groovy sounds. But it’s “Load on Your Mind” that is truly the gem on Are We Gonna Be Alright?
There’s an element to this track that’s hard to pinpoint but it’s one that would elicit a memory for those who are a fan of the music from the early 2000s. But aside from its simplicity, the lyrics open up to a mind that is overwhelmed and allows for a breather. It’s refreshing and it’s something that many can relate to.
Coming off of “Load on Your Mind,” Fickle Friends take you on a ride with their anthemic track “Yeah Yeah Yeah.” Released as a single back in November, it definitely took fans on an exciting ride as the band dropped a stellar grungy and angsty song. And now, as it sits in as track eight, it brings the album together and further instils the many emotions the band dealt with and provides a sort of cathartic emotional release.
“IRL” goes back to their indie-pop sounds and brings that contagious synth and groovy elements back to the forefront. Track ten, “Listen,” also plays with pop sounds but has you noting its fast-paced futuristic tones.
“Won’t Hurt Myself” is another emo-pop-filled track as Shiner sings an inner oath with lyrics like “Oh I won’t hurt myself the way you want me to, and give away my heart just like I always do.”
But closing the chapter to their sophomore album, with their title track “Are We Gonna Be Alright?”, the band takes a different direction and provides a more calming and contemplating note.
“We wrote three separate songs with the title ‘Are We Gonna Be Alright’… it was the final attempt (approximately two weeks before album delivery) that finally felt right,” Shiner says.
Inviting some friends down to Shoreham for a few days, Shiner notes that the band wrote music with “no rules and no plan for who they were for.”
“This song [“Are We Gonna Be Alright?”] came out of that camp and it just felt like the perfect finale for our record,” said Shiner. “This song will always remind me of those few magical days and officially ‘handing in’ our album.”
And ending on a perfect note indeed, the title track closes another great record from the indie-pop band. On Are We Gonna Be Alright? the band proves that they are more than just one genre and can create songs that feature elements like funk, groove, rock, and much more. If anything, Fickle Friends are changing the game of indie-pop and are solidifying their mark in music.
Listen to Fickle Friends’ new album Are We Gonna Be Alright? here.