Out now, ‘Evil’ is the fifth single from Fright Years and is self-described as an “indie rom-com”.
The group comment…
It’s about trying to make someone fall in love with you and maintaining power in the dating stage – but in the end you can’t control your own feelings. Think Andie in ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 days’.
Robin Murray, who writes for Clash, says 'the song seems to encapsulate what makes the newcomers so engaging – a refreshing melody, a tongue-in-cheek lyric, and a chorus that stays lodged in your head for days.
Meeting by chance over a double-booked practice room in Edinburgh Art College, a quartet of singles saw Fright Years gather early hype. Notably, the band received support from BBC Introducing, Radio X, Channel 4 and This Feeling – who tipped them in their all-important Big In ’23 list. ‘Evil’ ... leaves you beaming in a broad smile from start to finish. Effervescent, the smart-as-hell lyrics come from a personal place, albeit a self-effacing one.'
Cassidy Sollazzo describes the band as leaning 'into their own rendition of Tumblr rock, building sonic and lyrical tension to explore romantic power imbalances.
Some songs make you feel like you’re in a movie. It’s a commonly inexplicable feeling, whether it's how the sound engulfs you, the energy of the vocals, or the way the lyrics happen to relate to your exact situation - there are just some songs that give off that walk-through-the-forest-with-your-hood-up, look-out-a-rainy-window type of main character energy. Fright Years garner that same all-consuming feeling on their latest single, the slow burn epic "Evil".
Following in the footsteps of many great rock groups that have come before them (Talking Heads, Pink Floyd), Fright Years met at art school. That influence is clear in their music, with earlier singles like “Another Life” and “Every Weekend” utilizing pop synth patterns mixed with bright guitar melodies. Now, Fright Years are firmly committed to their version of alt-rock, with “Evil” solidifying its sound: arena-ready ballads mixed with an overflow of shoegaze-adjacent guitar and synth.
“Evil” opens with tight guitar and kit, with lead singer Jules’ reverb-heavy vocals taking the lead. The instrumentation builds as the track enters its first chorus, with fuzzed and distorted guitars creating an intensity that becomes the song’s driving force. Anthemic synths and cymbal-heavy drums add another layer to the climbing energy. Entering the second verse, Fright Years play with tension through sonic highs and lows; the overwhelming crunch of the guitar from the chorus turns into complimentary melodies glittered between lyrics. The delay and reverb on the guitar create an almost faraway sound to the riffs, evoking “Sex”-era The 1975 with that quintessential 2010s indie rock sound shining through.'
Tune in now!
https://open.spotify.com/track/3R5baxOIFijfiCx7JHn6uk
Wishing Jules and the band every success!