By Cameron Hale
Established Glaswegian indie-folk band Frightened Rabbit are back on the scene with a new three-track EP, ‘Recorded Songs’.
The EP follows on from their latest single ‘Fields of Wheat’, which depicted a desolate Tory-run future led by Theresa May in the wake of the general election. Contrary to their politically-motivated single, Recorded Songs features three unique tracks that will certainly please those of you that are partial to both acoustic and electric folk.
‘Roadless’, the title track, has a slow and melodic feel to it, which really works once frontman Scott Hutchinson’s vocals kick in, texturizing the song and giving it that modern indie-folk sound. The track’s melancholic lyrics no doubt capture the lonely and directionless person who is unfulfilled, with one of the verses starting with: “I got lost/Just hanging around/In a blur of the days and weeks and months…” and couples with the elongated minor notes of the bass and lead guitars to produce a contemporary folk master class.
On the contrary, ‘How It Gets In’ features Forrister frontwoman Julien Baker, who provides a beautiful echo on backing vocals to talented Hutchinson’s lead. The song follows a similarly melancholic theme that can be heard in Roadless, with there being a lot of repeated references to ‘invisible lovers’, which points towards the myth that an invisible thread of fate binds two people who are destined together.
Whether this is true or not of the song is unknown, although the last line (“Opened by instruments, closed by a thread/ There’s a space in the stitch”) certainly has me guessing as much, with the space in the stitch potentially referring to a flaw in the myth, hence the despairing overtone that the vocals and acoustic create. Regardless, I find the track is another display of lyrical and musical creativity that I can’t seem to get enough of.
Last but certainly not least is ‘Rained On’ – which, rather ironically given the title – is the most instrumentally upbeat track of the three. Grant Hutchinson’s drums play a great part in this, kicking in after a minute of melancholic minor notes on the acoustic that we were used to in the previous track. Even the vocals arguably point towards this idea of a new and uplifting start, with the chorus “Since January 1st/ When everything got rained on/ Washed away the dirt” echoing this idea.
Frightened Rabbit also announced a September and October tour of the U.S. in the wake of their latest EP being released, as well as two UK gigs, in Paisley on 17th October, and Edinburgh on 9th December.
