I’m a firm believer that The Fratellis are the most underrated of the meteoric noughties indie rock scene. Their debut album Costello Music gave us bangers like ‘Chelsea Dagger’ and ‘Henrietta’ that still spark the same reaction today as they did at the height of their popularity.
Since then, they haven’t released a bad album, even if they haven’t reached the same commercial popularity as their first record. Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied was released on August 21st 2015 and was one of their most interesting, emotional releases to date.
From this album, you can hear the band’s instantly recognisable, high-energy sound on the bigger tracks like ‘Baby Don’t You Lie To Me!’, ‘Too Much Wine’ and ‘Thief’, but they weren’t afraid of a quick energy change in the second act with ‘Slow’ and ‘Medusa in Chains’. But the greatest track is arguably the album’s opener, ‘Me and the Devil’, a deliciously addictive slow-burner which erupted into a belting finale.
Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied also allowed The Fratellis to get more experimental than they had ever been before. The rebellious and unique sounds of ‘Dogtown’ and ‘Getting Sureal’ explore new elements of lyricism and sound that defy the boundaries set by their earlier works.
Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied set a new precedent of what we could expect from The Fratellis, paving the way for the free-spirit albums that have come since 2015. Unwilling to be defined by a single emotion, this album is further proof that The Fratellis are experts in their field.
The Fratellis’ Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied is available via Cooking Vinyl.
