‘Action Replay’ is the superb new single and video from The Fratellis, available today on Cooking Vinyl. ‘Action Replay’ is the second track to be lifted from the platinum-selling Glasgow band’s sixth album ‘Half Drunk Under A Full Moon’, to be released April 9.
The atmospheric, sometimes bordering psychedelic video for ‘Action Replay’ stars the actor/dancer Rory J. Saper, best known for his role in Hulu’s teen drama series 'Find Me In Paris'. The film is a continuation of the love story from lead single 'Six Days In June', which featured Saper with his 'Find Me In Paris' co-star Hannah Dodd. The Fratellis were gearing up to release ‘Half Drunk Under A Full Moon’ - the follow-up to their 2018 Top 5 album ‘In Your Own Sweet Time’ - when the pandemic put paid to their plans. ‘Six Days in June’ hit the airwaves, revealing the trio’s jubilant new direction, just weeks before the world shut down. “We had a whole year’s worth of work that didn’t happen, but we knew it would come back around,” says Jon Fratelli, the band’s singer and songwriter. “As a band who have a loyal audience we know we’re in a fortunate position.”
Recorded in LA with producer and long-time collaborator Tony Hoffer (Beck, Phoenix, Supergrass), ‘Half Drunk Under A Full Moon’ is a kaleidoscopic delight that shouts from the rooftops and radiates joy. As the return of live music creeps closer, The Fratellis are primed to prove the power of pop to lift spirits and kickstart celebrations. From its flamboyant title track and lush songs steeped in brass and strings to twists on the stomping sing-alongs with which The Fratellis first found fame, ‘Half Drunk Under A Full Moon’ is a treasure trove of excess.
“People are desperate to go back to gigs,” says Jon. “By pure chance, we’ve made an album that could really suit that mood of joy and release.”
During the first lockdown The Fratellis teamed up with soul legend P.P. Arnold on a special, spectral version of album highlight 'Strangers In the Street’, remotely recorded and released in May in aid of the Covid-19 Music Relief Project. “It was my son who gave us the idea,” says Jon. “He loves the song, but said it was a shame it was me singing it. He was half-joking, but I knew exactly what he meant. It was crying out for a version with a female vocal. It had to be someone with real soul and gravitas, with the character to carry it off, and I immediately thought of P.P. Arnold.”
The Fratellis formed in Glasgow in 2005 and comprise of lead vocalist/guitarist Jon with bassist/backing vocalist Barry Fratelli, and drummer/backing vocalist Mince Fratelli. Their 2006 debut album ‘Costello Music’ - which contained the globe-conquering hit “Chelsea Dagger” - quickly went double-platinum and led to The Fratellis winning the Brit Award for British Breakthrough Act in 2007. A successful second album ‘Here We Stand’ followed in 2008, but this whirlwind of success came at a cost, and by the end of the decade the trio had split, burnt out from their relentless life on the road.
Since reforming in 2012, The Fratellis have gone from strength to strength, winning over a new generation of fans and enjoying a more sustainable type of success. ‘Half Drunk Under A Full Moon’ finds The Fratellis at ease with who they are and where they are: a band who have not only survived but thrived, and are making the best, most confident, most ambitious music of their career.
