Rhodes’ beautiful new album “Friends Like These” is a distillation of everything he has been through, good and bad, during a transformative period of his life. Though he and producer Rich Cooper (Josef Salvat, Lucy Rose) recorded its 10 songs during lockdown, they were chosen from around 100 that Rhodes wrote as he processed major personal and professional changes in the years that came before. Some, like becoming a father, were completely joyful. ‘Others, like deciding to leave his record label and trying to navigate his way out of toxic working relationships, provoked a complex array of competing emotions. Hertfordshire-raised, London-based Rhodes says he picked the songs that “best represented my journey over the past few years” and tried not to overthink what his second album “should” be. The title is derived from the old saying “with friends like, who needs enemies?”, but flips it into something positive. “My close friends are all over this record and if it wasn’t for them it wouldn’t exist,”
The album is finally out! “Friends Like These” feels like a milestone moment for me. So much has happened in the last few years and in what has felt like a lifetime I’ve been through some of the highest points in my life but also some of the lowest, there’s been a lot of heartache and pain, a lot of realisation and a lot of change, but one thing has always remained the same, you guys! You’ve all stuck by me and been so unbelievably patient waiting for what comes next. I’m grateful beyond words for that kind of belief and I really do hope these songs resonate with you.
To me, these songs represent the chaos of it all and all of the twists and turns on the winding road that led me to where I am today. I’ve been talking in interviews recently about what music means to me and what music meant to me when I was growing up and discovering myself and my identity. Well, I always saw music as a refuge and an escape. When I listened to my favourite artists it was like a safe space to feel like I could express myself through their expression and I want you to feel that too, not just with the new record but all of the songs, to treat the music like a close companion speaking to you of understanding and hope, reassuring you that there is always a way through the darkness.
We’re now so close to the UK & EU tour in February! There are still a few tickets left, so if you don’t already have yours, please follow the link and get them now! I want to see as many of you there as possible. I’m planning something very special for you and I’ll be playing a lot of songs from the new record but also a lot of the older songs from Wishes and some deep cuts from when it all began. The shows will be super intimate, which I feel is what always creates the most wonderful kind of musical memories.
The Fat Angel Sings 