LISTEN: Flyte - 'I'm Not There'

I've been feeling a little rough lately (haven't we all?!) and those best laid plans of writing more posts here haven't quite come to fruition yet, but I've been enjoying this new one from Flyte and wanted to share. The duo's first new music of the year, I'm Not There is a taster of more to come from a record made with producer Ethan Johns at his home studio and is just beautifully vintage Flyte. I adore them. 

On the process of creating the new track, Will shares:

Although regular therapy and the ever-enlightening practice of songwriting has helped me immensely over the years, a lack of self-love, self-forgiveness, and the baggage of family trauma still hangs around - sometimes heavily.

This song was written under a particularly dense cloud, with a rainy brain. I was draining my subconscious, not present in the slightest. From the few times we’ve played this song live, it’s been noteworthy how male leaning people of all ages have been quick to tell us about their immediate connection to it - make of that what you will.

What may also be interesting to some is that it’s a fully live performance, cut right at the start of the album recording session. We played it once and once only, and that’s all the listener hears bar a single piano added later. Nick, Ethan and I hadn’t played as this trio before and you can hear us introducing ourselves to each other, figuring the whole thing out as we played. Ethan, as well as being a sensational producer/engineer is an experienced, emotionally intelligent drummer, which provided a safety net that allowed us to step blindly into the performance with no preparation.

It’s taught us that there, in that risky place, is where the truth is most easily coaxed out of us.

 

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LISTEN: Dizzy & Flyte - 'Primrose Hill at Midnight'

I'm writing this quickly on Sunday morning before heading into town to see my best pals for the first time in months. Remind me how you do this social interaction thing again?! A quick post for Monday (hi - time travel!) to share the fact that I am completely and utterly besotted with this track and that you should all listen to it, and the full EP, right now. Dizzy just shared their Separate Places EP - a collection of reworkings of tracks from their second record The Sun And Her Scorch, which features guest vocals from Luna Li, Kevin Garrett, Overcoats, Jahnah Camille and on this one... Flyte! I've been desperate to write about this one since receiving the EP a few weeks back so I'm glad that the cat is finally out of the bag - the Flyte chaps are lending their stunning harmonies to Primrose Hill at Midnight and the result is sublime.  

During an Insta live chat between Dizzy's Katie Munshaw and Flyte's Will Taylor a few days back, they discussed the origins of the track. Turns out it actually came about after Flyte took Dizzy to Primrose Hill when they were playing a show in Camden, and Katie talked about how they'd wanted the band to sing that part of the track before they even released the original album version. Seems a bit of a dream collab for both (and for us!) - if you're not aware of one or the other, listen to both bands' recent records, they are so so so good. 

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WATCH: Flyte - 'Never Get To Heaven' (Acoustic)

Aren't Flyte just really really special human beings?! I should be used to them stopping me in my tracks with their beautiful tunes by now and yet, every new song brings with it an element of surprise. Their latest tune was released last week, and they've shared a gorgeous 'campfire rendition' for you to sink your teeth (and eyes and ears) into. Go go go! Never Get To Heaven was written by Will when he was just 14 (!) "in an attempt to be post modern and rewrite an old scout chant of the same name", the band share. - "hence, here we are, so many years later, bringing it back to the campfire." 

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WATCH: Flyte - 'Losing You'

A new Flyte song! New Flyte! Remain calm. Following last year's return with the White Roses EP (featuring The Staves dreamy) the band recently shared Easy Tiger, with a video from Bafta winning director Mark Jenkin. Latest track Losing You is another heartbreaker, with a video continuing the collaboration between Mark and the band. The band recorded the track in LA with Justin Raisen (Angel Olsen, Ariel Pink) and Andrew Sarlo (Big Thief, Bon Iver) producing, and Ali Chant (Aldous Harding) on mixing duties.

Talking about the track, Will explains that "every detail of Losing You is taken directly from the week after a breakup. We actually got back together and years later it ended again but this time the roles had been reversed. It felt strangely poignant singing a song that I was initially directing at someone who’d hurt me, to then turn it around and sing it back at myself. I don’t think Flyte was ready to take on this song until now. We were finally confident enough to just play the song and not add any extra production, and let the lyrics do all the talking. Andrew Sarlo wanted it to feel like the track never left the lonely bedroom. Like the band just came over, jammed out the song and that was that”

On the video, direct Mark Jenkin shares that "the idea for the aesthetic came from spooling through old VHS tapes in my studio and seeing the various layers of recordings reveal themselves. I liked the idea of an old black and white film having been partially recorded over with some home movie footage and the two then seeming to have a bit of a conversation with each other, despite being separated by time and place. Those strange accidental counterpoints only seem to exist in the analogue world. Digital footage of the band (shot by Tee Byford) was then repeatedly looped to VHS, with the colour bleeding and drifting with each new generation. The film element was shot on a Bolex, with the negative processed by hand, scanned, and copied to video tape."

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WATCH: Flyte - 'Easy Tiger'

If you've been tuning into frontman Will's online streams (or were lucky to see them on tour last year) then you might already know the track Easy Tiger, which Flyte have just released. It's a really emotionally fraught, honest and personal track from one of the best songwriters out there at the moment, arriving in response to a painful break-up. The track started life as a 20-minute voice-note that Will recorded for himself to "buckle up and get ready for a really shit time" and was recorded over a few days in LA with producer Justin Raisen and mixed by Ali Chant. 

The music video for the track was directed by BAFTA-winning British director Mark Jenkin of Bullion Productions. Will explains that "when I wrote Easy Tiger I was exorcising shame, heartbreak, jealousy; almost impossible emotions to process, I almost regretted writing it. There's a darkness and an emotional brashness to Mark's work that suited the song perfectly. It would have been hard to trust anyone else with it." They worked on the video during quarantine, with Mark's use of hand-process and physically edited film working perfectly amid the current limitations on film making. 

Mark describes that "the challenge was to make something that felt amorphous - to create something that has a tactile feel to it, is a single artefact, something that feels like a found film and something that is timeless, abstract and unidentifiable in some ways."  

If you like the new track - be sure to head to the Flyte Youtube channel. While touring the US with Jade Bird last year, they hatched a plan to cover an artist from each gig location. Their cover of Helplessness Blues (Fleet Foxes) is heavenly. 

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LISTEN: Flyte - 'White Roses' EP

It's hard not to feel completely at peace as you settle down with the new EP from Flyte - White Roses is 11 minutes of pure bliss from the trio. With their incredibly tight harmonies and honest songwriting fans often draw comparisons to the likes of (and this is kind of huge) The Beatles (yep, them) and Simon & Garfunkel - deservedly so, I reckon. If you caught my recent interview with the band then it won't be much of a surprise to hear that I adore them and their music and I'm really excited that the new EP is out in the world. It's hard to pick a favourite but as the track which launched their return, I'm still really loving the title track White Roses, with the vocal backing of none other than The Staves. How to improve on one group with beautiful harmonies? Combine them with another, of course.

Frontman Will Taylor describes that for the new EP the band have "stepped into a much starker, more direct place emotionally [...] Our last album told other people's stories, where we were too afraid to look at ourselves. The songs on this EP seem to have predicted our futures - or it may be that things are already happening to us that we're not yet conscious of, and the music gets there way before we do. The song 'Sometimes' is the first track recorded since Sam left the band, and although it was written before he left, it is clearly about him and his reasons for going. The current album we're finishing is so much like that, it's incredibly confessional - so what better warm up than the EP." 

If you happen to be in America (hi!) Flyte are currently on tour with the equally magic Jade Bird across the US through to the start of November, after which they're heading home for a sold out Village Underground (London) show on November 11th.

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INTERVIEW: Flyte (August 2019)

It's time for another interview and I am very excited about this one - the lovely Flyte guys agreed to answer some questions about their recent collaboration with The Staves, upcoming shows and what is coming up for the band this year. Dates for your diary: the band's new EP is due for release on 20th September and they headline London's Village Underground on November 11th.

Flyte with Jess from The Staves

Hello guys! It is wonderful to have you back, but for those who were living under a rock when you released your gorgeous debut 'The Loved Ones' back in 2017 - who are Flyte?

Well hello and thank you it feels very good being back. Ha, well that record still seems to be getting discovered by rock dwelling types, in fact it seems to be getting more attention now than it did on it’s release - which is I suppose is a good sign. Well we’re a band from London who all sing and all write and play instruments. I suppose we’ve become known for singing in harmony in an interesting way but that’s not all there is to it. Our influences are primarily from the past but we definitely bring those influences with us into the present day. Much like artists like Big Thief, Whitney, Phoeobe Bridgers, people like that. There seems to be a fantastic wave of music from America and Australia that seem to be coming from where we’re coming from which we’ve found inspiring. 

You released the track White Roses a few weeks back. It was a much awaited and longed for return for your fans and the reception looks to have been incredibly positive. The track features The Staves - harmonies upon harmonies! How did that dream collaboration come about? 

Very kind of you thank you. We love The Staves, we were always in each others orbit but we only properly met recently. They came to see us on our tour with The Lemon Twigs and we hung out in the pub afterwards. We talked almost exclusively about Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and The Office I seem to remember. So we instantly got on. Not long after that they were doing a Christmas show at Earth in Dalston and asked us if we wanted to do a Christmas song with them. That was obviously a wonderful experience. So when we were making White Roses we instantly thought of them. We just knew it would work and people seem to be reacting really well to it, so hopefully it was the right move!

What's next now that you've got this new track out in the world? Should we keep our eyes peeled for album two? 

Not sure how much information we’re revealing at this point but there’s plenty of music coming that much is for certain. It’s definitely a very personal collection of songs. The Loved Ones was very much an album about other people and this time round it's very much a personal thing. It feels strange and a little terrifying knowing how exposed the writing is.

I've seen various videos online from your years of busking and I get the impression that you are definitely a band that thrive off of live shows and sessions (your Arcade Fire cover is one of my favourite session videos to exist, ever.) How has it been getting back to playing live after a break - the recent Omeara gig must have been pretty special? Not to mention BST at Hyde Park!

It was always good for us to do those very simple live videos. You can sometimes go overboard in the recording studio by thinking everything has to be big and ambitious. Those live videos kept us in check and showed us how well people react when we’re just singing a good song, completely exposed. We’ve tried to bring that mentality with us into the recording environment this time round definitely. The shows we’ve played recently have been incredible, our fans are just the most amazing, thoughtful, passionate, engaged people and it makes preforming so easy - sorry a lot of hyperbole but its true! The only thing I will say is this new material is so close to the bone that I’ve felt emotionally drained after the shows, if you give that much of yourself it can definitely take its toll.

Where can we see you live in the coming months? A little bird (AKA some internet stalking) tells me you're heading stateside soon! 

Haha yes it’s true we’ll be touring all over the States and then the UK and Europe this Autumn, that’ll be announced properly in the coming weeks!

Finally - what are you all listening to at the moment, any must haves for the tour bus playlist? For me it's mostly the new Friendly Fires album... 

Weyes Blood's new album is fantastic, we went to see her London show and she was mesmerising. Aldous Harding is also fantastic. Tunnel of Love by Springsteen has been giving the goods recently - a really good divorce album, put it on the shelf with Blood on the Tracks and Graceland. 

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WATCH: Flyte - 'I Still Believe In You'

The lovely Flyte chaps have just released I Still Believe In You, a follow-up to recent single White Roses - both of which are gorgeous. I wouldn't expect anything less from the guys! The tracks are taken from an upcoming EP, also entitled White Roses, which features as yet unheard tracks Sometimes and Gone Girl and is due for release on September 20th. Lead single Will Taylor details that the new track was "born out of a very difficult time [...] and grapples with truth, honesty and fidelity in a relationship." In the video for the track, directed by Kasper Häggström, we see a father driving his daughter to University for the first time. It's topical for this time of year (I can't believe my first drive to university was almost five years ago!) and falls somewhere in between humour and heartbreak, and is a beautiful accompaniment to the song.

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LISTEN: Flyte - 'White Roses' (featuring The Staves)

Stop what you're doing. Flyte are back with White Roses, the first track "of many to come". (Ahhhhhhh!!!) Somehow their debut album is almost two years old - it was one of my favourite records of 2017 - a gorgeous collection of tracks showcasing their often Beatles-esque breezy acoustic pop style, and those wonderful harmonies. One of my favourite videos of the guys is their cover of Arcade Fire's The Sprawl because the harmonies are completely unreal (watch that here.) So what better way to improve their sound than to release a track featuring The Staves - harmonies upon harmonies! Lot of love for this one.

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LISTEN: Flyte - 'Moon Unit / Victory Girls'

It's just over seven months since Londoners Flyte blessed us with The Loved Ones, their stunning debut record. They've been busy touring all over the place since the release, including some recent shows at SXSW and a gig in a church in London, but found time to share a couple of brand new tracks around a month ago. I've seen the new tracks earn the band yet more comparisons to The Beatles, which can never be a bad thing. To me, when I think of Flyte I think of their brilliant songwriting and beautiful harmonies - both of which are at the forefront in these new tunes. If you enjoyed their record, or even (and especially) if you're totally new to the band, give them a listen below.

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LISTEN: Tracks of the year playlist!

What a year for new music! With new albums from big favourites of mine Everything Everything and Public Service Broadcasting, debuts from Flyte and Willie J Healey and a bunch of other brilliant EPs and singles in between, there's been a lot to enjoy across the year. I've whittled down my favourite releases to my top thirty tracks of the year, which you can listen to here or on the embedded player, and check out a few words on each track below!

BE GOOD - It's Cool but It Ain't You

My favourite tune from the Oxford band that have quickly become one of my favourite discoveries of the year!

Everything Everything - Run The Numbers

It was difficult to pick just one track from the record A Fever Dream which the band released over Summer and which I'm almost certain is my favourite record of the year...

Banfi - Rosedale House

Again, whittling down the Banfi repertoire to just one tune when I've fallen in love with every track they've released so far was tricky but this is a favourite of mine.

Flyte - Faithless

In the run up to the release of the band's debut album The Loved Ones back in August I stumbled across this stunning Sofar Sounds session of the opening track Faithless and was taken aback by the songwriting and beautiful harmonies.

Ady Suleiman - I Remember

I love Ady's unique vocals and the beautifully nostalgic lyrics of this track - he's recently announced that his debut album is due in March and I can't wait to hear it!

Evergreen - Aux Echos

With a subtle name change under their belt, Evergreen followed up their superb 2014 record Towards with a new EP of tunes a month or so ago - Aux Echos is the lead single and I'm totally loving it! 

Johnny Flynn - Barleycorn

The follow-up to 2013's Country Mile, new record Sillion is pretty brilliant and this tune quickly became one of my favourites of Johnny and his band The Sussex Wit!

Low Island - (Pause)

Unless you've avoided all of my blog posts and playlist updates for the year, it'll be pretty obvious to you that I'm quite fond of Low Island and believe that you all should be too. This is my favourite tune from their In This Room EP, released earlier this year.

Lewis Capaldi - Bruises

A beautifully raw track with an intensely powerful and emotive vocal, since the release of this stunning debut single back in March it seems that Lewis has been on an incredibly steep trajectory, selling out runs of UK shows in hours!

Brasstronaut - Raveshadow

I think that a lot of us owe Stornoway a great debt for getting these guys across from Vancouver to support them on their farewell tour earlier in the year - I instantly fell in love with their self-titled album which was released earlier in the year, particularly this tune!

Public Service Broadcasting - Progress
I distinctly remember my first listen of this tune while writing a section of my dissertation in my university kitchen, followed by replaying it several times for the rest of the day. It's taken from their recent record Every Valley which is one of my favourites of the year.

Sivu - Lonesome
Another exciting return this year from Sivu, following up his beautiful debut Something On High with Sweet Sweet Silent - well worth a listen!

Parcels - Overnight
I couldn't shake this song from my head once I'd make it our 'track of the week' over on the Tigmus blog back in June - it's produced by Daft Punk and is a total tune!

Seramic - Trying
Marcus Foster and co released the follow up to last year's Found EP in the shape of the I Got You EP this year - it's full of cracking tunes and I adore the closing track, which they performed in one of my favourite live sets of the year at Bushstock Festival (watch that here.)

Fleet Foxes - I Am All That I Need / Arroyo Seco / Thumbprint Scar
The band's show at O2 Brixton in November was nothing short of magical - this is the opening tune to their massively acclaimed new record Crack-Up.

Dan Croll - Tokyo
Following up the brilliant record Sweet Disarray, Dan Croll returned this Summer with Emerging Adulthood. I was torn between adding this track or Bad Boy to the playlist as I'm almost equally fond of them both, but remember completely loving this tune when I caught him at a Communion showcase earlier in the year.

Charlie Cunningham - Minimum

Another discovery I've made as a Stornoway support act (back in 2015) I was blown away by Charlie's skills with the guitar. Minimum is taken from his debut album which was released earlier in the year!

Get Inuit - Barbiturates
The first track to be added to my yearly playlist - love this fun Vevo Dscvr session from the Kent based band.

Willie J Healey - People and Their Dogs
Willie's show at Oxford's Modern Art gallery comes in as one of my favourites of the year as it marked the end of my three years at university, having handed in my final assignment earlier that day. Celebrations after the gig included hanging around with the band and Robin and Cat of Catgod at a pizza truck. Rock and roll.

Nick Mulvey - Mountain To Move
What a joy to have Nick Mulvey back in our lives and our headphones - his headline set at Bushstock Festival was a total joy to behold and one of my favourite crowds to be a part of this year!

Tempesst - Feel Better
Taken from their recent Adult Wonderland EP I love this smooth and summery tune from Tempesst - still gutted that I missed their recent headline shows!

Pale Seas - My Own Mind
Favourite tune from Stargazing for Beginners, the debut album from this Southampton four-piece!

FIL BO RIVA - Head Sonata (Love Control)

I was chuffed to catch Fil at The Great Escape back in May and can't wait for his debut album, set for a release early next year to coincide with a UK and Europe tour in April and May.

Catgod - I'm Innocent
From their Someone Love EP - I can't wait to be reunited with my Oxford pals Catgod at their London gig this week!

Park Hotel - Going West
I don't always find the time to check out tracks that are submitted to the blog for sharing/reviewing but was really glad I listened to this one which quickly became one of my favourite tunes of the year!

Lucy Rose - No Good At All
Taken from her record Something's Changing, for which Lucy Rose released an eye opening mini-documentary of the same name about her music, her fans and playing around the world to fans she's met online.

Dazy Crown - Peanut Butter Dreaming
A band I had the pleasure of working with on some shows back in 2016 for Tigmus, I love this tune from their I Don't Need a Jacket EP.

Cosmo Sheldrake - Come Along
Cosmo played what was probably my favourite support set of the year opening up for Johnny Flynn at the Roundhouse. His effortless control of the room and his introduction to various unique samples completely drew me in.

Charlie Fink - I Was Born to Be a Cowboy
After meeting the rest of the Noah & The Whale members several times over the last couple of years, I finally met Charlie this year as he released his solo record and performed it as a unique live music stage production at the Old Vic in London. 

Arcade Fire - Creature Comfort
I almost want to admit featuring this tune simply because the title makes me think of the hilarious Creature Comforts animated TV show - but it's also a cracking tune from the band's new record Everything Now.

WATCH: Flyte - 'Faithless'

It's been a few months since the Flyte chaps released their debut record The Loved Ones into the world and blessed us all with some incredibly beautiful tunes. The album opens with the mesmerising Faithless, which I shared back in August via a stunning session for Sofar Sounds and the track has just been given a "big, beautiful music video to go with it", shot in the Spanish desert, directed by Femke Huurdman and produced by Canada. If you're already a fan, enjoy, and if not - check it out and be careful not to fall too deeply in love with the band too quickly... but in case you do, here's a link to listen to the full record! 

Flyte play at the Communion Music Christmas club night at Notting Hill Arts Club on Sunday 3rd December alongside Isaac Gracie, Harry from Peace, Lucy Rose, Adam French and a special guest (ooh - the mystery!) There will be mince pies and fake snow so it isn't to be missed... tickets are sold out online at the moment but it's always worth checking back here for more!

GIG NEWS: Flyte at The Cellar, Oxford (1st Oct)

Some super exciting Oxford gig news emerged yesterday - my pals and total legends Catgod will be supporting Flyte on their show at The Cellar alongside another brill local band 31hours. Being back at home after graduating from university in Oxford the thing I miss most is the music scene, and gigs like this make me desperate to return - it really isn't one to miss, even on a school night! If you're new to Flyte, taking a listen of their beautiful recent debut album should be enough to convince you how great a gig it'll be. Need more convincing?! Listen to this stunning Alvvays cover from the Flyte chaps. 

As well as the headliners being superb, Catgod are going from strength to strength following the release of their latest EP Someone Love with festival performances aplenty and their own headline show at the same venue back in July. Check out the total tune I'm Innocent below!

31hours released their Rockpools EP last year and they're hard at work fundraising to release their debut album physically - check out the campaign here and listen to Royal Box below!



Get along to the show and turn up early to support local, homegrown talent! Register your interest and grab tickets through the show's Facebook Event here.

WATCH: Flyte release documentary for release of 'The Loved Ones'

Although I've only been aware of them for a year or so, a little search online tells me that the Flyte guys have been around for a few years, a pretty permanent fixture busking around London back in 2013. The live experience shows as their harmonies are incredibly tight and make for some really beautiful tunes, including the stripped back and heartbreaking Faithless which they released last week. 

Their debut album The Loved Ones is out today... I got an early listen a few days ago and can confirm it's just as beautiful as expected. The album release is supported by the first of a four part documentary about the making of the record. A filmmaker followed the guys to Australia to capture the recording process, and it includes voiceover in the form of an incredibly personal conversation with producer Burke Reid. Check out the documentary below and watch out for the rest of it to premiere online soon... 

You can catch Flyte live as they tour to celebrate the release of the album, first with a tour of record store performances and signings including Banquet Records and Rough Trade East & Nottingham, which starts this Friday at Hundred Records near Southampton (full dates here), and then across September and October up and down the country, including their London headline at Scala. Check out all the dates and grab your tickets here!

WATCH: Flyte perform 'Faithless' for Sofar Sounds

As the release date of their highly anticipated (by me, at least) debut album draws ever close, Flyte casually dropped an absolute stunner of a track on Friday. Sharing the track online, they wrote that it's one of the first songs that they wrote together, so it means a lot to the band. After a few listens and putting the track onto my Spotify playlist I stumbled across this video of them performing the track for Sofar Sounds London last March which is equally as beautiful.

Flyte release their debut album The Loved Ones this Friday (25th August) and head out on a mammoth UK tour through September and October, starting in Southampton on 15th September, heading to the likes of London, Cambridge, Cardiff, Oxford, Leeds, Nottingham and more before finishing up in Bristol on 12th October - full dates and ticket links here!

LISTEN: Flyte - 'Sprawl II' (Arcade Fire)

As a fan of Arcade Fire and harmonies, I'm loving this video of Flyte covering the track Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) which I've just watched 4 or 5 times in a row. Seriously beautiful stuff, filmed by the talented Katie Craik under Westminster Bridge, very much worth a watch...

Flyte are starting up a club night, with the first coming up on May 4th at Moth Club, tickets available here.