In January 2020, UK based alt-pop band Flawes were ready to tackle the year with every ounce of artistry they had in their bones. From releasing their debut album, Highlights, to gearing up to share their new music with fans, the trio found themselves in lockdown with nowhere to put their musical energy. That is, until now.
Though 2020 hit Flawes hard regarding their plans for releasing even more new music, lead singer JC Carruthers, guitarist Freddie Edwards, and drummer Josh “Huss” Hussey just picked up their instruments and began creating. Described as “ever optimistic,” the trio set out to break a world record, by live-streaming a performance of their most recent single, “Holding Out For the Win” 60 individual times. Carruthers never lost his voice. The band never missed a beat, and what’s even more exciting is that they’ve got a new single out today.
The band’s latest single, “What’s a Boy to Do,” premiering with us today, is an inventive new track that eloquently captures the trio’s flair for catchy pop hooks and their passion to play as a live band. Uncovering the impossibility of achieving perfection, the song begs the question, “What is there left to do when you’ve done all you can?”
The trio, despite experiencing setbacks in 2020, have decided to focus on the positive aspects of their toughest situations. “It’s about believing in yourself,” Huss explains, “Going for a goal and knowing that even if you fail, you’re still proud of yourself for seeing it through.”
“I’ll better my cause / and I’ll better my tools / I’m through, cut loose / What’s a boy to do?”
In the brand-new music video, you’ll find the band back in the same room they were for the music video of their previous single, “Holding Out For the Win,” only this time, they’re confronted with surprising transformations. The magic of pressing a single red button sparks what turns the band into their younger, older, and present selves, echoing the song’s light-hearted yet intriguing call to believe in yourself, no matter what stage of life you’re in.
While watching the band’s newest video, you can’t help but feel like you already understand their personalities and energies on screen. It might be because all three members have been friends since childhood, radiating unbreakable energy that’s reflected in both their collaboration and music creation. Having pushed back their schedule to release new music just ever so slightly, Flawes remained unfazed and more determined than ever to share their sound with the world. They’re on the verge of getting ready to put out new music born out of the lockdown they were in.
One listen to “What’s a Boy to Do” quickly reveals the band’s essence for creating an alt-pop sound that’s unique to its time and yet also made perfectly for it. With a sound meant just for finding optimism right when you need to a passion for providing amazing soundscapes for their fans, it’s always been Flawes’s signature sound that reminds us while we’re human, we’re still meant to dance sometimes. We’re still meant to believe in ourselves sometimes, and that’s what Flawes is for.
“What’s a Boy to Do” will be featured on Flawes’s upcoming EP Reverie, set for release on Feb. 26, 2021.