Back in 2014 I wrote a piece about Fickle Friends and their single For You. The post alluded to the fact that whilst the band was doing very well online in terms of attracting lots of blog and website praise they still had a long way to go to achieve any sort of real world success, such as selling lots of tickets for larger shows and developing a real-life fan base. 3 years on from that article it gives me absolute pleasure to see the band continuing to work hard and achieving that success, as a recent sold out show in London’s Kentish Town Forum (2,300 capacity) attests to.
Hard graft and putting the hours in is undoubtedly part of the reason why the band are doing so well, but let’s not ever underestimate the power of a hooky tune, and Fickle Friends seem to be churning them out by the bucket load. Current single Hard To Be Myself might on a casual listen sound like a piece of throw away pop with Natti asking you to ‘party with me’ but a closer listen will find that there’s something deeper going on, with Natti touching on insecurity and anxiety – the idea of being the life and soul of the party, but the reality maybe isn’t quite the same.
Today the band released a video for the song, which explores these ideas further. Director Daniel Harris explains: “The split-screen concept for Fickle Friends' Hard To Be Myself was built off the structure of ‘Expectation’ vs ‘Reality’, all based around a ‘90s American Frat House party aesthetic. From the beginning of the two narratives, I wanted to create a clear point of difference in the behaviour of our lead, Leo, by directing a left-side character that was relentlessly decisive, unapologetically confident and free from social inhibition versus a right-side character that was uncomfortable in his own skin and nervous. Then we surrounded him with the same character-set in the two different realities, one inside the party and the other on the doorstep, uninvited. These played side by side created a really beautiful juxtaposition. Alongside the narrative, we peppered in a gorgeous telephoto performance of Natti and shots from the band that flow along with the story.”
For lovers of all good pop music around the world, it’s time to enjoy some more Fickle Friends.
Fickle Friends - Hard To Be Myself (Video)
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