December 2020 – Singapore – Flawes has returned with a new single, “What’s A Boy To Do”, a follow up from their previous release “Holding Out For The Win”. Both songs feature on their upcoming EP ‘Reverie’, set for release on 26th February.
From its acoustic guitar introduction, “What’s A Boy To Do” spontaneously erupts into the kind of gloriously uplifting hook that’s quickly becoming a hallmark of Flawes’ new music. It’s a song that balances the extremes of their sound, finding the common ground between intricately produced alt-pop and the dynamic energy of a live band. The result is representative of the trio’s ability to find positivity in tough situations. That feeling is also emphasised throughout the song’s lyrics as drummer Josh ‘Huss’ Hussey explains, “It’s about believing in yourself, going for a goal and knowing that even if you fail, you’re still proud of yourself for seeing it through.”
The accompanying video for the track is linked to the previous visual for “Holding Out For The Win”. The boys return to perform in the same room as before and JC again undergoes a surprise transformation. As the song explodes into life, he hits a big red button which transports the boyhood version of himself to the present day. It’s a trick which keeps on giving, fast-forwarding Huss to middle-age and switching guitarist Freddie Edwards’ gender. And that’s all before things get really weird.
Flawes – “What’s A Boy To Do”
This year, the music community has shown a huge amount of ingenuity in trying to connect with fans while conventional shows can’t happen. But no-one has done anything quite like what Flawes did to bring their recent single “Holding Out For The Win” to attention. They aimed to break the world record for the most individual live-streamed performances of a single song in a twelve-hour session. And that’s exactly what they achieved, completing a staggering 60 performances of the track – and all without frontman JC Carruthers losing his voice.
After a steady rise in which they earned a Record of the Week at Radio 1 and working with leading producers such as Finneas (Billie Eilish) and Lostboy (Dua Lipa), 2020 looked set to be the year that Flawes made their major breakthrough. But as every artist has experienced, their plans for the year were soon dashed.
Undeterred, the ever optimistic trio pushed on, and took the opportunity to record some new songs separately during the initial lockdown, with the remote assistance of producers such as Toby Scott (The Gossip, Pet Shop Boys). The new material was bursting with personality, the energy of their live shows and an escapist spirit that is proving to be empowering for the band and their fans. It means that the ‘Reverie’ EP positions them to achieve the things they were denied in 2020 just a little behind schedule.
With their previous releases ‘Lowlights’ and ‘Highlights’, Flawes has seen its music video for “Look No Further” added to rotation on Channel [V] Asia, VH1 India and VERY TV, along with numerous press features and radio pickups in the region. From here, the only direction the band can go is up.
‘Reverie’ EP tracklisting:
1. Holding Out For The Win
2. What’s A Boy To Do
3. Higher Than Before (ft. Mali Koa)
4. I Don’t Quit For No One
5. Move Over
6. Against All Odds
Pre-order or pre-save ‘Reverie’ here: ffm.to/reverieep
