‘I Was An Astronaut‘ is a song that needs no introduction to longtime Brand New Friend listeners. First appearing on the American Wives EP in 2016 before being re-recorded for the band’s debut album Seatbelts For Aeroplanes, and now finally released as a single.
Fresh off their 3 night sold-out residency at the American Bar this song serves as both an testament and answer to how the North Coast quartet has had such an phenomenal success over the past few years.
Bright keyboard arpeggios, quintessential pop-punk guitar riffs and larger than-life vocal harmonies explode onto the soundscape all within the first few seconds of the track. The lyrics are sparse, the guitars are loud and the drums have a steady contagious beat. To me a great song is, by definition, when the chords, riffs and harmonies all seem to come together to create something larger than the sum of it’s parts. That’s exactly what happened with ‘I Was An Astronaut’; smart songwriting is at the centre of Brand New Friend and this is one of their best examples.
It’s a fun indie pop song that never tries to be anything more than it needs to be for you to enjoy it. I’m sure countless hours of handwork went into the recording and production of the track yet when you listen to the final result it sounds more like someone happened to place a microphone at the right place and at the right time to capture the band’s incredible raw energy and excitement. Regardless of methodology the result is a catchy, timeless indie pop anthem condensed all within 2 and a half minutes.
The release is accompanied by an official music video filmed on Downhill Beach, Castlerock by Colin Bloomer. It invokes a sense of nostalgia for distant childhood memories and a pining for the long summer nights yet to come. Anyone familiar with Brand New Friend would instantly recognise how well the video blends with the band’s aesthetic
This is a time proven Brand New Friend track that, as expected, quickly became as staple of their live show and also has the added bonus of serving as a great introduction to the band itself.
Following January’s three night residency, Brand New Friend set off on a 20 date UK tour with labelmate Sean McGowan this month.
