65. Single Review of Crazy Friends by Towse
Originally Published November 19th
About the Artist
What is the best thing about indie music? I know if I ask that question to twenty people, I could probably get twenty answers. I would almost bet money that the twenty answers would all come back to the answer that is in the question: Independence. Creative freedom! Since starting Fifteen Minutes of Fame, I have listened to so many artists; not one group sounding like another. I love that more than anything else.
For instance, today I am listening to an alt pop duo, Towse. Same genre as my last review. Except Towse, the alt pop duo, classify themselves as folk pop and they feature (pause for dramatic effect) an IRISH FIDDLE. The fusion of these two genres is something so spectacular and I never knew it was missing in my life. But now that I’ve heard it, I don’t know what I would do without it. Seriously.
Towse are based in London, but it doesn’t sound like they spend a lot of time there. They (Grace Fellows and Corwin Zekley) have been road-testing this unique blend of popular music and folk with acts like Jon Gomm, playing festivals like Sh’Bang Festival in Washington State, and have been living off of a perpetual US tour, though bouncing back to the UK from time to time for a show.
In May, Towse released their second single, Feels Good. This was their second single after their debut, We'd Start a Garden, which was released exactly one year prior to that release. As they continue to tour, Towse are quietly and methodically working on an EP with the hopes and expectations of releasing in 2025. That and they are releasing single number three on November 19th.
About the Song
Crazy Friends is a single by the Pop folk duo, Towse. At around Two minutes and Forty-Five seconds, it releases on November 19th, 2024. It features Grace Fellows on vocals and piano and Corwin Zekley on the fiddle and supporting vocals. Additional instruments are drums and percussion, bass guitar, and layered synths.
About the Music
Crazy Friends is upbeat and yet very much a minimalist piece. The song opens with a short introduction of an arpeggiated piano and the fiddle, along with a very stripped percussion before Fellows comes in with her vocals. The bridge incorporporates textured spoken vocals and a synth parts that leads into a dynamic boost from the chorus, building with layered vocals and a more complex percussion.
This build maintains until the second chorus where Zekley features more on the fiddle, playing a solo behind Fellows’ vocals. The dynamics climax in the bridge after the second verse where both Fellows and Zekley give performances that build until the resolve of the final chorus where the song is stripped down for the first half. The band comes back in stride on the latter half of the chorus.
I truly love the element that is brought on by Zeckley’s fiddle. From the intro, to the chorus, and finally that absolutely wonderful bridge solo; the fiddle hits every single mark in stride.
Additionally, Fellows’ work on the piano provides to be all the duo need for an anchoring instrumental part. Furthermore, her vocal performance is just what this song needs. She provides ornamentation where needed but understands when to hold back vibrato and runs to emphasize the lyrical content.
This concept is one that is not often thought of and, after listening to Towse, I truly wonder why because this is just beautiful, beautiful music.
About the lyrics
Lyrically, I am getting a similar vibe as the song Ironic by Alanis Morisette. In Crazy Friends, the narrator speaks of a world that is subtly crumbling around them.
“She said Mercury’s in retrograde again. I don’t think that explains what’s been happening. I don’t know if I can watch another friend break down sobbing because the world’s got to them.”
Lyrically, the verse reads melancholic, the the melody and overall theme of the song is almost cheerful sounding. The narrator is giving us a sense that they’re reaching a tipping point.
“When you can’t afford to take the train to work (wait, really?) when you sat here for a decade and you still don’t feel heard (come on) when you’re surrounded by success and your failing. When your heart flies away in an airplane (not again)
These are all so relatable references, in one way or another. Young parents needing to work can’t put their children in daycare because daycare expenses essentially equal the salary of the secondary income. People holding a position at work that continually get passed up for promotions. There are a plethora of examples that can be plugged in here.
“Why do we live in this world that makes us feel lazy for wanting our lives to be whole?
Why do we live in this world that makes good people crazy? Maybe we shouldn’t ask so much from the world.”
In the chorus, the narrator is discovering something has to give and maybe they (we all) put a little too much pressure on ourselves trying to blend in with society’s priorities. Whether it’s our jobs, our finances, our relationships, our education, our religion, or our politics, it’s hard not to feel the pressure of it all- even at our peak. Then, we pressure on ourselves to stay at the peak and that can be more overwhelming than our valleys.
Lyrically, this song is interesting as the story is conflicting to the melodical pep of the song. I think it’s particular interesting because it works. Perhaps I am interpreting the music wrong. Maybe it’s not happy, maybe it’s intense. Either way, they go together!
Fellows delivery of the lyrics is so special because she has the ability to be a storyteller AND an instrument. Usually singers lean on one element or the other. It is the truly special ones that give this amphibious performance like she has.
Final Thoughts
Towse might be one of the most unique performers I have had the privilege of reviewing. The folk pop sound really works. I can think of so many different genres that they could pair with and yet they sound like no other band.
If I may state a personal opinion, I think musicians who try to fit into a mold that appeals to them, it is very difficult to get the traction they want. That especially goes for me. There is something to be said about letting the music we produce unfurl. When we let music take us, that is when we find our sound. I don’t know what led to the development of Towse, but it certainly feels like Grace Fellows and Corwin Zekley have gone where the music has taken them. Don’t be surprised if this course takes them to great heights.
AS ALWAYS!!!!
CRAZY FRIENDS IS OUT TODAY!!! So DON’T forget to hit PLAY!!!!!
Incredible review!
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