FRENSHIP (James Sunderland and Brett Hite) make wide-angle pop songs that are realized in the moment, shaped by diverse inspirations: the brash, bold innocence of 80s pop; the experimental streak of 90s hip-hop; and, not to mention, the songwriting chops of stadium-filling superstars.
Their songs are painted in bold, bright colors, packed with harmonies and unshakeable hooks that connect with a global audience. FRENSHIP’s debut album Vacation, released May 17, 2019, via Counter Records (part of the Ninja Tune family), followed the explosive interest which has greeted the music they have released so far, including the 2016 global hit “Capsize” with Emily Warren. 2021 will see FRENSHIP return with a renewed sense of energy and creativity full of the undeniable melodies fans have found to know and love.
Tell us about the genesis of your project. How did you get to where you are now?
We met in 2012 working at Lululemon selling yoga spandex. It was glamorous. We were both at a crossroads in our music careers and were feeling a bit burnt out from our previous projects (singer-songwriter and DJ/producer). We became good friends and eventually made a few songs that caught the attention of some publishing companies. A few years later we signed a publishing deal and left the yoga pants world for good. After a few indie releases we put out Capsize with Emily Warren and the song took off. We quickly had to become a live band so we rounded up a few of our friends and went on tour that fall. We released an EP later that year (2016), opened up for Bastille in 2017, went on a few more headlining tours, played festivals, released our debut album eventually and here we are.
What is the favorite song you wrote and why?
Carpet is one of our favorites because it works well live. It’s super fun to play and without fail it seems to make people move. Other than that we both enjoy Capsize because it gave us the most money.
Who are your all time musical icons?
Chris Martin/Coldplay. John Mayer. Bon Iver. Sting. Johann Sebastian Bach.
What are some things to do to keep your inspiration alive?
Sometimes you just need to show up and try to make music. Just being around the computer/instruments you can sort of force inspiration to happen. Other times rest seems to keep the inspiration flowing. Getting out in nature, seeing friends, having a night out, just living in general are good ways to refuel the tank.
Who are you binge listening to these days?
Holly Humberstone, Empire of the Sun, Leon Bridges, Gus Dapperton, Jean Dawson.
Favorite movie or TV show?
We both LOVE Tad Lasso. It’s so feel-good and tackles some important issues, especially in season 2. The White Lotus is pretty good too, especially the music. Favorite movie is unfortunately Step Brothers.
Tell us about your latest release and how it came about
Like a lot of other artists we’d been trying to write the pandemic song. We came up with a few decent starts but nothing quite stuck. Later in 2020 we had a session with producer Tim Anderson. We hit it off quickly and got the instrumental and some of the verse down in that first session. We were referencing old 90s dance songs/sounds so that steered the direction of the song a bit. After the session was cut short because of a Covid scare, we took the song home and came up with a chorus and the rest of the lyrics. We tweaked some sounds, passed it back and forth with Tim and that was it. We wanted to keep this one simple and just write how we felt at the time. It was intentionally straight forward and hopefully captured something universal.
Do you have any peculiar pre or post show rituals?
We both warm up our voices without clothes on. We cheers with our band and crew before we head on stage too.
What’s the future looking like for you?
Friggin bright! We have 15-20 songs sitting around ready for release. We’re putting out singles for the foreseeable future while we build back up. There are a few collabs in those singles too. We’ll most likely be touring again in 2022 with some headlining and opening tours.
Who inspires your style and aesthetics?
Not really a who, but nature/the outdoors influences our aesthetic quite a bit. We end up wearing mostly outdoor clothing as it’s what we grew up wearing in the mountains of Colorado and Washington. Think chic nature dads.
What is the achievement or moment in your career you are the most proud of and why?
I’m just proud we’re still here. A lot of artists don’t last very long. We’ve had some seriously high highs and depressing lows throughout our career and to still be here putting out music together makes me want to tear up. It can be a tough career at times but we’re really fortunate we get to make music for a living.
What do you think is the best way to make it as an artist nowadays?
Constantly put out music and don’t stop for extended periods of time. Keep up momentum as much as you can through releasing lots of music.
What would you change in the music and entertainment industry especially after this past year?
I’d love to see labels/managers/etc invest in things they just like and see potential in. I worry that there will be too much focus on “data” from socials when investing in new artists. Sometimes there is an intangible, immeasurable thing about a new artist you can’t quite quantify yet.
