Despite hitting the top ten with their debut ‘You Are Someone Else’ back in 2018, there’s still something of the underdog about Fickle Friends. After what they describe as a ‘tumultuous’ time over the last three years, the Brighton band are back with this, the first of a planned series of EP releases throughout 2021. With lockdown having put a big old blocker on releasing (and touring obvs) a second album for now, it’s still just pretty damn good to have them back.
Opener ‘What A Time’ lays the table for a band back in full creative control, a shout to the joy of escapism from everything *out there* right now as Natti Shiner cries “I don’t think about it when I’m getting high… I’m getting messed up to NERD”. We’ve all been there. With a big club vibe building and building towards a climax that’s just begging for live action next year, it’s a huge rush of a song. Better yet is ‘Million’, a bass-slapping funkbomb of a track that makes for a banger big enough for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And an after-pub drunk snack.
Just like life, it isn’t all parties and highs. The sweet ’92’ falls in love, ‘IRL’ worries about whether a relationship can last when it isn’t just happening on a screen, while the delicate ‘Finish Line’ casts a reassuring arm around those in need. Over just five tracks, it shows that you still underestimate Fickle Friends at your peril. Weird years? Sure. Still, what a time to be alive though.
