Flyte Releases New Single 'Easy Tiger'

The UK's Flyte are excited to release a new single "Easy Tiger,"out today via Island Records. It marks the first bit of new music from the band since last fall's White Roses EP. Recorded in Los Angeles, "Easy Tiger" feels timeless while rooted in the now it punctuates Flyte's old school approach to songwriting with modern touches. It was written during a particularly raw period of time; lead singer of Flyte Will Taylor recorded a 20-minute voice-note about a painful breakup, as a warning to himself to "buckle up and get ready for a really s time." A startlingly frank yet beautifully poignant song, "Easy Tiger" was recorded with producer Justin Raisen (Angel Olsen, Ariel Pink) and Ali Chant (Aldous Harding) on mixing duties. The single immediately caught the attention of Mark Jenkin, the BAFTA-winning British director (Bait). During quarantine, Will and Mark started work on a music video, Mark's trademark use of hand-processed and physically edited film serving as the perfect solution to the current limitations of film making during COVID-19.

Watch "Easy Tiger" below!

Of the video Jenkin says, "The challenge was to make something that felt amorphous - to create something that has a tactile feel to it, is a single artefact, something that feels like a found film and something that is timeless, abstract and unidentifiable in some ways. For me, what's exciting is those limitations - this is where my strength is, the great unknown." Will notes, "When I wrote 'Easy Tiger' I was exorcising shame, heartbreak, jealously; almost impossible emotions to process, I almost regretted writing it. There's a darkness and an emotional brashness to Mark's work that suited the song perfectly. It would have been hard to trust anyone else with it."

Flyte is Taylor (vox, guitar), Jon Supran (drums, vox) and Nicolas Hill (bass, vox). "Easy Tiger, "an ethereal and serene track, includes an eerie ambient backdrop and string accompaniment via Derek Stein (Grammy-nominated Wild Up, Yves Tumor) who adds a layer of depth.

In late 2018 Flyte were riding high off a successful US tour and a string of well received releases including their breakthrough LP The Loved Ones. The band began the process of writing a follow-up, which became the White Roses EP. Following that release Flyte embarked on an extensive US tour with Jade Bird, where the band recorded covers from artists linked to American cities from Nashville to Chicago; Judy Collins to Elliot Smith, which they have reposted as odes to live music during quarantine; "Almost every state had an artist we truly loved who was from there," Will said in a recent interview with Evening Standard.

Despite that success, the months following were wrought with behind-the-scenes turmoil including personal issues, break-ups and even the exit of founding keyboardist/guitarist Sam Berridge. After some retooling and reflection Flyte refocused their efforts on a new batch of material that would channel those recent feelings of loss, regret and catharsis towards the studio in early 2020.

The decision to record the new material in Los Angeles was born from a desire for a fresh start and self-imposed "musical rehab." Will notes, "We had been in London for all of our life and with all the recent changes, we wanted a new start somewhere. We felt that a lot of our favorite music was coming out of New York and LA lately, and I think there was an edge and a slight darkness about the songs because Los Angeles is sort of alienating in so many ways. There's also something very restful and retrospective about being in a new city that we didn't know."

Flyte are renowned for their complex and rich vocal arrangements and melodies, with lyrics steeped in literary imagery; Paste has said, "White Roses juxtaposes mournful, contemplative lyrics with tranquil acoustic guitar strums, gentle, jangling hand percussion and The Staves' preternaturally lovely vocalizations" - but it was touring in California that recently took hold of their imagination. Inspired by their time in Laurel Canyon, the band recorded their next full-length record in LA. A much-needed new environment to confront the personally challenging subject matter written back home in London, and an opportunity to work with some of their musical heroes.