Track of the Day: Fräulein - 'Pet'

Music
16 Feb 23

Fräulein by Shea McChrystal.

Check out the video for Fräulein's new single 'Pet' below, directed and edited by Lily Doidge.

Northern Irish/Dutch duo Fräulein are kickstarting their year with new single 'Pet', released today via indie tastemaker label Submarine Cat Records.

'Pet' was born from an explosive riff hoping to melt your face off, with the lyrics tightly focusing on the feeling of trying to stand up tall but failing because you crave people’s approval and external validation. The pair's unique approach to grunge and alt-rock transports the listener back to decades past, with a contemporary, genre-blending edge weaving through.

“The word ‘pet’ means a lot to me” explains Northern Irish vocalist and guitarist Joni Samuels. “I love it because it can be a term of endearment, but it can also be slightly patronising. This theme fits nicely with the cyclical riff of the track, a kind of pattern that you can’t get out of.”

Lifted from a three-day session with producer Ali Chant (Yard Act, Sorry, Soccer Mommy), ‘Pet’ is the band’s first release since their debut EP A Small Taste, which heard the duo throw down the gauntlet and solidify their early sound; cathartic 90s alt-rock influenced by the likes of The Breeders, PJ Harvey and Big Thief.

They manage to incorporate cavernous grooves and sharply observational lyrics that trace coming-of-age stories.

"Sick of stagnation / Hitting that ceiling of lead / Up in heaven / That’s where I float in my head," Joni Samuels sings in the first verse, atop of lo-fi guitar fuzz - plus drums and backing vocals from the Netherland's Karsten van der Tol.

The pair initially formed around Bristol in 2018, through a chance encounter at a friend’s jam night. As a duo, they continue to draw inspiration from a wide range of genres – including from trip-hop, grunge and Latin.

The band’s early singles such as ‘Pretty People’ and ‘By The Water’ were championed by Hot Press' A&R Department, with 'Belly' premiering on our website in August 2021.

“We listen to a lot of material from the '70s and '90s which is all recorded to tape, but we also paid a lot of attention to Adrianne Lenker and Buck Meek, both of whom released solo albums last year that were recorded using analogue methods," Fräulein's Karsten told Hot Press two years ago. "We love those albums and the warmth that tape provided to the sound, which is something we wanted to create our own version of.

“Tape seemed like the most natural way to get the raw, rough round the edges sound we were after," he adds. "Which is why we paired up with Ben [Auld] and his TASCAM machine,".

Primed to take 2023 by storm as one of the most exciting new live acts on the circuit, don’t miss Fräulein on their headline tour through April.

The duo will also top the bill at Sub Cat’s launch of Off Piste on February 22nd; the label’s new club night at St Moritz in Soho. Listen to Fräulein's A Small Taste EP below.