Hi Frisco have released their new EP ‘Goodbye Blue Monday’ (Living Room Versions).
Following the release of their debut album ‘Goodbye, Blue Monday’ last year, the duo has released 4 stripped-back renditions of tracks lifted from the initial full-length under the title ‘Living Room Versions’.
Speaking of the new release, the band said: “These versions happened whilst making other plans… We wanted to do a live stream with our rhythm section as company, but due to lockdown, we didn’t feel comfortable doing so. Instead, we stripped the songs back from their many many layers, playing them as the two of us + our beloved mini pops drum machine. We liked the way they sounded in this form, but they were perhaps a little too exposed for us… To find a happy balance, we limited ourselves to 6 tracks per song, mimicking our live stage set up in an ideal world, just with 3x ourselves instead of other musicians.”
To celebrate the stripped-back release, Hi Frisco shared with us 5 tracks that influenced ‘Goodbye, Blue Monday’ (Living Room Versions).
Felix Rashman
Sly & The Family Stone – Just Like a Baby | Listen via Spotify
Someone once said to me that they thought ‘There’s A Riot Goin’ On’ was an example of a really bad recording. I thought they were out of their mind, I still do! It’s small, it’s tight and loose and it’s perfection.
Nick Hakim – Roller Skates | Listen via Spotify
This track is just so compelling considering there is so little going on, the vocal tone, the weird delay trails, the backing vocals. It’s a pop song in a 4 track disguise. His new work is much more polished (and still great), but I love the grit and grime of this unpolished gem.
Sparklehorse – Getting it Wrong | Listen via Spotify
A master of the tiny vocal (along with Yo La Tengo), reminds me a little of early Eels and has such a soft melancholy to it. Wish he was still about making music as he was such a talented writer and producer, he always left a trail of audio candy in the background for your ear to latch onto.
Henry Eastham
The Red Teleh – The Red Telephone | Listen via Spotify
This is the first Love song I heard, and it makes its way through my head on a daily basis.. (also the reason I bought a 12 string). There’s a really sweet dissonance to the chords, especially in the post-chorus, which shouldn’t really fit together, but do so beautifully…
The Beatles – Sun King | Listen via Spotify
Yep, the Beatles.. they can do no wrong. What I love about this song in particular are the chords of vocal harmony, they provide such a luscious texture floating in and out. George Harrison’s playing on this feels very effortless & complements the vocal so well.
You can stream Hi Frisco ‘Goodbye, Blue Monday’ (Living Room Versions) below via Spotify: