FRNDS AS CMPNY
WHITE FLAG EP

indie electronic / pop / indie pop

Both personal and political, FRNDS AS CMPNY’s horizons have never been broader. The turn the singer-songwriter has taken is a meditative one, as well as timely: it offers comfort in a time of turbulence. Born from his most quiet moments, the White Flag EP is proof of FRNDS AS CMPNY’s ability to contend with a torrent of emotion - love, hate, pain, pleasure, jealousy, regret – and capture them across five-tracks in a way that doesn’t dilute them, but makes them burn ever brighter.

Years in the making, it was “Catching Fires” which was the very reason the White Flag EP came into being. “It’s about doing the impossible, and knowing it’s okay to be different,” FRNDS AS CMPNY explains. “This song is my mantra.” It’s an arresting, completely cinematic introduction, showcasing his finely-spun vocals which reach impossible heights. It transcends a human level, and instead captures a universality that runs through the entire EP.

By that same token, everyday life inspired the White Flag EP. “It’s about the fight, the struggle and the release,” he says. “This EP gets to the root of us. As we are only human, we all raise the white flag sometimes and say, ‘I’m done, I give up’.” The titular track is a panoramic masterclass in ambient electronica, soothing in a way that only surrender can inspire.

FRNDS AS CMPNY has an intuition to step back and take in the bigger picture. There is a greater design to the flow of the EP, which is fluid and ever-changing – impossible to pin down to a single genre. “Who Killed Paradise?” is a deeply introspective track which elevates earthy percussion to the outer stratosphere of synths, with the richness of his vocals willing the track to soar. He describes the track as a consequence, a warning of what is to come, while his mournful cover of Tears For Fears’ “Mad World” is an ode to the chaos of the human condition.

The EP is as much about confronting his own demons, as it is tackling the world’s: “I looked at myself, and also the relationships I have witnessed and been a part of: the fine nuances between love and hate, and what drives humans and our different states of mind. I wanted to be straightforward and honest with my lyrics so there is no confusion. I want to take the listener on a journey. For me, it’s the journey of mankind.”