Fickle Friends In Conversation With FAULT Magazine
Fickle Friends X FAULT Magazine
The few years have been somewhat of a rollercoaster for Fickle Friends, so much so that it’s almost fitting that their latest body of work ‘Weird Years’ comes at what is probably the weirdest year in living memory. That being said, all musicians have had to find new ways to navigate this moment in history which Fickle Friends have done by releasing this new EP episodically.
With today’s release of their new single ‘Million’, we caught up with the band to discuss Weird Years, their process and of course, their FAULTs.
Weird years was written through a time of massive change, do you feel like you won’t be able to close that chapter until all seasons of the album are released?
Fickle Friends: Haha I hadn’t really thought about that until now. It’s definitely become a bit of a comfort blanket. I feel like weird years as a concept is something we are working through, there are lots of highs and lows and the music we are making is like writing an entry in a journal. I don’t know when we will close this chapter but it will reach it’s the natural end before we move onto something else. I’m not sure if the world will ever return to normal though so we could be stuck in this era forever haha.
You like many musicians has to rethink your music releases this year – do you as a band cope well with sudden change?
Fickle Friends: I think we freak out initially but I love that change always forces us to think outside the box and that’s usually when we feel most inspired and have our best ideas.
Tell us about what track ‘Million’ means to you?
Fickle Friends: It was one of the first songs we wrote for Weird Years and it brings back some warm memories of excitement for the next stage of FF. This song means a lot to me especially, as I wrote it for/ about someone incredibly special. It’s about that undeniable chemistry you can have with another person.
What’s was the hardest track to write on Weird Years?
Fickle Friends: Good question haha….probably the one we haven’t written yet. Season 1…IRL gave us a bit of trouble. We stopped and started a lot with that one and had to give it some time to breathe. Glad we came back to it though!
What’s been the biggest change you’ve seen in yourselves as a band since your debut?
Fickle Friends: I think we have relaxed a bit more. And I think we have grown as songwriters….we write for ourselves and no one else, whereas we were people-pleasing a little bit before. Maybe that’s a bad thing, I don’t know…but it certainly feels like we are closer to hitting our stride.
In an old interview you mentioned you were perfectionists when it came to your music, does this sometimes add more pressure and anxiety than it’s worth?
Fickle Friends: Ha yes. But we put it all on ourselves. We are slowly learning to let things go a bit more. No point trying to force anything. Our best music happens naturally.
What’s something you’ve done to protect your mental health this year?
Fickle Friends: Trained and became a yoga teacher :)
What’s a question no journalist has ever asked you but is something you’ve always wanted to say?
Fickle Friends: What my favourite food is. It’s ramen.
Conversely, what’s something you wish people would stop asking?
Fickle Friends: How we came up with the band name lol. Zzzzzz
What is your FAULT?
Fickle Friends: I think this goes for both jack and me….and it’s a combination of procrastination and drinking a little more than we should. Don’t judge ha.