You may have guessed from their name choice, but London quintet Sad Boys Club consider themselves outsiders. This latest single is testament to this ‘loner’ sentiment - lead vocalist Jacob Wheldon explains, “‘Dead Fridays’ is the first song of a collection that explores themes of transition, loss and the turbulence that brings, and how to make sense of that. It’s the most angsty song on the record; a loner anthem and a scream into the void. Everyone loves those.”
Ironically, the track makes you want to grab your best mate by the arm and have a good old dance. The track flutters with potential, it’s an exciting release for the band who aim to establish themselves firmly within the indie pop scene.
The beginning could be mistaken for intro to a Cure track in their “pop” phase (although the mention of “Pop” and “Cure" in the same utterance would be enough to make Robert Smith crawl into a black hole).
The inimitable, theatrical vocal inflections from Wheldon come to the forefront on this track, backed by buoyant, choppy Killers-style guitar riffs and 80s inspired synths, with a sprinkle of strings for added dynamism. It’s classic indie pop tinged with emo, and there’s a sense of true independence around Sad Boys Club: the band’s very own bassist Pedro has produced the track.
Wheldon seemingly has an innate ear for a catchy chorus and snappy pop songwriting structure, that - if you shut your eyes - you can imagine an oestrogen-heavy festival crowd bopping along to, singing back every lyric - whilst simultaneously sloshing cider down their mate’s t-shirt.
It seems like perfect timing for Sad Boys Club to bring out new material: their longtime music pals Bombay Bicycle Club are back (They first identified their sound and wrote their earliest material in a shed/rehearsal room owned by the Bombay boys), and musical influences The 1975 have also returned with new tracks. Which begs the question…is this the beginning of a return to the halcyon days of indie pop, and will Sad Boys Club be in for the ride? Stay tuned to find out.
Sad Boys Club will play Brighton’s Green Door Store on 11 September 11 with Birthday Card and Prima Queen. They’re currently on tour with No Hot Ashes, which concludes with shows at Bristol’s Louisiana on 6 September and the O2 Academy 2 Oxford on 7 September.
