Fickle Friends are a Brighton-based, indie-pop band who have gone from strength to strength, since their humble beginnings. Since their debut album, You Are Someone Else, the band have released a string of singles and EPs. However, 2022 sees the release of the band’s second full-length album, Are We Gonna Be Alright? And here’s what we have to say about it…
From the offset, it is abundantly clear that with this album, Fickle Friends have been experimenting with their sound and made heavier use of guitars. Opening track, ‘Love You To Death’ kickstarts with a grungy into but quickly becomes recognisable as the band we know and love…but edgier.
Probably my favourite song on the album is the second track, ‘Not Okay’. I love the calm piano-led intro that quickly turns into a chugging, rhythmic song that oozes personality, making you want to let loose and dance. It’s wonderfully crafted and comprises of intricate details that make it a real joy to listen to.
Also continuing the rockier theme are tracks ‘Write Me A Song’ and ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah’, the latter of which is probably the heaviest on the record. They’ve still got that pop tint to them but demonstrate just how this band have grown and developed into themselves.
This is an album to be proud of! The band have taken a leap of faith in trying out new sounds and songwriting styles and created something marvellous.
That’s not to say the old Fickle Friends has been lost by any stretch of the imagination, as singles ‘Pretty Great’ and ‘IRL’ still have that original Fickle Friends charm.
Other fantastic songs on the album include, ‘Alone’ with its echoing and dreamy vocals; the very funky and upbeat ‘Glow’ about finding someone who picks you up when you’re down; and the beautiful ‘Won’t Hurt Myself’ with its piano-led intro into a wonderfully powerful chorus.
Another couple of favourites include the disco-esque ‘Listen’ and the stunningly personal and altogether different from the rest of the album, ‘Are We Gonna Be Alright?’ with its ethereal feel.
This is an album to be proud of! The band have taken a leap of faith in trying out new sounds and songwriting styles and created something marvellous. It’s incredible to see what a few years between albums can do to the progress and development of a band and this is a fantastic achievement across 12 superb tracks.
I look forward to hearing what the band create next!
Rating
‘Are We Gonna Be Alright?’ is out now and can be downloaded from iTunes – https://music.apple.com/gb/album/are-we-gonna-be-alright/1584979912
Are We Gonna Be Alright? on Spotify
Yeah Yeah Yeah (Official Video)
Alone (Official Video)
IRL (Official Video)
We hope you’ve enjoyed our review! What do you think of the band’s second album? Are you as much of a fan as us? What would you rate it out of 5? Please leave your thoughts in a comment or via our social media.
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Matt – Muzik Speaks
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