Small Talk comes to us as the third offering from Swansea newcomers, The Fiends. To me there are a couple of things that make this band one to watch closely. The first is that while the pandemic was taking a heavy hit to the music industry and slowing it down to a near stop, The Fiends formed and quickly began to gain momentum online. During this hazy time tainted by the virus, The Fiends put out 2 tracks that hit the ground running and gained themselves some traction. Then as Wales lifted restrictions, they played their debut show to a sold out crowd at The Bunkhouse in Swansea.
The second thing is their gritty sound wrapped up in a youthful, indie dream. Small Talk weaves a tale of the ‘nonsense in romance and everything else in between’. An almost nostalgic vibe sits heavy around this track, presenting the heady experience of navigating lust and love as a teen. This is exactly the kind of track that 15 year old Spilt Milk would have attached to while drinking blue wkd at house parties and playing spin the bottle. This track embodies a timeless sound that references indie greats that have come before them. Underneath the bouncy tempo sits a twinge of grunge guitar riffs which grounds the track in a humble punk trance. Lyrically the track remains honest yet enticing, and you can almost hear a crowd of kids chanting back.
This is the future of indie bands, I can imagine the likes of The Fiends gracing introducing stages across festivals in glorious sunshine. But I’m interested to see how they progress their sound. They’ve nailed what we expect from a buoyant indie rock band, and now I want them to hit the next gear.
Small Talk is to be released on 14th of Feb ahead of a promotional tour across Swansea, London, Swindon, Leicester and Southampton.
Comments