Q&A: Deep Dive With Fickle Friends

Music fans are a notoriously fickle lot, bouncing from one band to another on a whim. That is, unless the band checks off all the right boxes, which is the case here with Fickle Friends, despite their name. Natti ✓ Sam ✓ Harry ✓ Chris ✓ Wilson ✓ continue to swim into prominence, flooding hearts full of indie-pop with quintuple the love. Following the release of their brand new video and Great Good Fine Ok's remix for their breakout song "Swim," we had the opportunity to host a Q&A with the band to dig (dive) a bit deeper.

1. Tell us the inspiration behind the new video for "SWIM"?

"SWIM" is about feeling like you're drowning in your partners emotional baggage… and remembering when things were a little more simple. I have a tendency to get over nostalgic and "SWIM" is exactly that. The video is kind of a metaphorical reflection of the complexity of relationships…the idea that someone can be like a dead weight sometimes.

2. The last year for the band has been pretty crazy, we imagine, with the success of "SWIM." Sum it up for us in a few words.

It’s still pretty surreal for us. We keep thinking that we’ll have to go back to our jobs when we get back from the States, or a show or whatever and then we remember THIS IS OUR JOB. There is nothing greater than doing something you love every single day. I hope that feeling never goes away!

3. Who are your musical influences?

We have so many, but what influenced Fickle Friends from the beginning were bands like Phoenix, Two Door Cinema Club, Bombay Bicycle Club…that kinda thing. And then of course our enormous love of MJ and 80’s pop production. It’s all pretty eclectic.

4. Who is in your current playlist? Any artists, musicians or genres we might be surprised to find in there?

Not sure whether you’d be surprised but to name a few things we’re loving at the moment (and stuff you should demo check out if you haven’t already) ….Honne, Beatenburg, Jodie Abacus and Gallant.

5. Let’s talk about the band's writing process, how does it begin? Or how did "SWIM" begin?

"SWIM" began in Wilsons' bedroom back when we were at uni and we were just messing around with an arpeggiator (which is where the guitar riff comes from). Our normal process is just a couple of us writing a demo and then taking it to a rehearsal room to work into our live set. That’s when stuff really comes to life.

6. What about a career trajectory? We hear you are signing with a few major labels - both in the UK and States. Are you working on a new project you can tell us more about?

Yeah we signed to Polydor records and Universal publishing pretty recently, which has been amazing. We’re very ambitious, but we’re kicking the summer off with some festivals and then we’re recording our debut album. So I guess the sky is the limit at the moment. Glastonbury next year maybe? We’d like to win an award. Or have a record we can hang on the wall. That would be baller.

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