Next month, Flawes will be releasing their EP Reverie, which features their latest single What’s a Boy to Do, which was released at the end of last year, and they have been uploading to their Reverie YouTube Series in the lead-up to the EP. Flawes signed a record deal after having one of their tracks feature as Record of the Week on BBC Radio 1 and released their debut album Highlights last year and had planned a number of shows including a headline tour and a set at SXSW Festival, which were unfortunately cancelled due to COVID-19. The trio – JC, Huss and Freddie – attempted to break the world record for the most individual live streamed performances of a single song in a twelve-hour session, with their attempt being released on their YouTube later this year, and during the pandemic, they have been working on songwriting and uploading covers for The Isolation Sessions. Answering our questions, Flawes chat about their upcoming Reverie EP, uploading to their YouTube channel and releasing their debut album Highlights last year.
What can listeners expect from your upcoming EP Reverie releasing next month?
Freddie – The word ‘Reverie’ refers to being lost in one’s thoughts, or being in a dream-like state, and that’s what we want the EP to evoke in the listener! We want to give fans a place they can escape to, somewhere they can forget about the madness that has been handed to us all in recent times. The music videos are set in a kind of alternate reality and we really hope they bring a smile to the face of whoever is watching them!
Where did you get the inspiration for the songs on your EP and what were they like to write?
JC – The EP is full of positive themes despite everything going on in the world right now. We are all optimistic guys and I feel I naturally always tend to lean towards positive, uplifting themes when writing lyrics. I definitely felt super fortunate to have that focus during lockdown and to throw myself into these songs, almost as an escape.
You released your latest single from Reverie, What’s a Boy to Do at the end of last year, can you tell us about it?
JC – What’s a Boy to Do is based on a time when I was a kid and sheepishly walked up to the girl of my dreams and asked her to be my girlfriend. Instead of being heartbroken and gutted when she said no, I was so proud of myself for having the courage to ask. At least I tried my best and I did what I challenged myself to do! Overall it is all about focusing on the positives of a bad situation, much like the rest of Reverie it carries a positive uplifting message.
How different do you think it will be releasing your EP during COVID-19?
Freddie – The music industry has had to adapt in such a big way and I think it’s been amazing to see how resilient musicians can be. It will definitely be a release to remember! A big part of promoting a body of work is typically going on tour and that is obviously out of the picture for us right now. We’ll be producing a lot more content to be enjoyed from your phone and computer and will be running some exciting competitions too. Head to our socials to find out more!
What inspired you to do the Reverie YouTube Series and how has it been to work on?
JC – We wanted to give our fans the opportunity to get to know us a bit better. Each episode is linked to a new song somehow and we take on various challenges set by our label and by fans. It’s been such a laugh filming it so far.
How was it releasing your debut album Highlights last year and how long was it in the making?
Huss – It was such a good feeling for us when Highlights came out, it was about three or four years in the making. We had so many great experiences together along the way, that was one of the reasons for it being named Highlights, looking back at that time writing just brings a smile to my face.
You had a number of shows booked for 2020 including a headline tour and SXSW Festival which were cancelled due to the pandemic, what are you looking forward to most for getting back to live shows?
Freddie – When you’re on tour it’s like you’re in a bubble. It’s hard to explain the feeling, but travelling from city to city puts you in a different headspace. I’m excited to get back to that and to feel that amazing buzz of a crowd of fans in a venue!
You previously toured with AJR, what are some of your favourite memories from the shows?
Huss – Yeah, that whole tour was amazing, we’d been busy writing for a while so we were really itching to get back out on the road and perform the songs we’d worked so hard on. Every single crowd we played to blew us away! We’d come off stage every night just grinning from ear to ear. I think one of my favourite moments has to be looking out at 2300 people in Manchester Academy, everyone jumping and waving, just having a good time. That’s what we do this for.
Can you tell us about attempting to break the world record for the most individual live streamed performances of a single song in a twelve-hour session?
JC – Haha, what a long day that was! Twelve hours playing the same song over and over and over and over. My main concern was singing for that amount of time and the possibility of losing my voice so we put a strict rule whereby I wasn’t allowed to talk in between performances. Somehow I managed to make it through to the end. We filmed it all and it will be one of the YouTube series episodes coming out later this year.
How was it working with Finneas and Lostboy and having your music feature as Record of the Week on BBC Radio 1?
Huss – Radio 1 Track of the Week was such an amazing start for the band, we actually ended up getting signed from that radio play! We were on tour with Ella Eyre the week after too so that whole time was a blur of happiness. Working with Finneas and Lostboy was such a pleasure, they are both such talented writers and we definitely have lots of fond memories of our time in the studio with them.
What are some of the music-based projects you’ve been doing during lockdown and do you have anything planned for the coming weeks?
Freddie – We started a series called The Isolation Sessions where we recorded covers of some of our favourite songs remotely. That’s been great fun, but the main music-based project has been songwriting! We’ve all really developed our abilities to record our instruments from home and so have been working hard on new material. That’s how the EP came about! A silver lining from the lockdown has been the amount of free time it’s given us to focus on new material.
Is there anything you enjoy most about being in a band and performing on stage?
Freddie – We’re all really grateful that we get to share these great experiences with each other. Solo artists don’t necessarily have that same friendship on tour and I think it really makes the whole process that bit funner. Playing live is always a special moment where we’re able to see the hard work we’ve put in behind the scenes paying off. Hearing fans sing back our songs will never get old!
What music did you each grow up listening to and had you always wanted to be in a band?
Huss – We all grew up listening to very different styles of music and still do today. I grew up loving bands like Blink 182, Fall Out Boy and New Found Glory. Freddie is more into Blues and JC is a huge Radiohead and Coldplay fan. We all grew up looking up to and playing in bands, definitely a shared dream of ours to be in one today.
What are you hoping 2021 brings for your career along with releasing Reverie?
Huss – I’m hoping this year we are able to get out on the road again, we missed a lot of touring (as did everyone) in 2020 and we just want to get out there and play as many shows as we can. We cannot wait to play the songs from Reverie to a live audience, so fingers crossed!
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