Today, British singer/songwriter RHODES announces his upcoming album, Friends Like These, out 27th January 2023 (pre-save here). This announcement is accompanied by the release of his emotional new single of the same name, ’Friends Like These’ (listen here). The heartfelt track captures the feelings of friendship and what it means to be around those you love.
Speaking on the single, RHODES says: “This is a song about fearless friendship, nostalgia, and unity. I wanted to write a song reminiscing those endless nights you’d have as kids and how those memories and sometimes, if you’re lucky, the people stick with you for life. I was out in Woodstock, NY to do a writing session with Simone Felice and the night before the session I was awake with jet lag and staying in a little farmhouse where the kitchen was constantly lit up by the neon lights of the gas station next door when my friend Joey called me up from London. He was completely drunk and wasted and we had this nonsensical conversation. I was half-jokingly thinking about that old phase ‘with friends like these, who needs enemies,’ but I wanted to flip it into a positive because I fucking love Joey and his unique ways and quirks that make him who he is. Then I started thinking about how much I could have been there with him, with my arm around his shoulder and laughing together.”
“The next day I met Simone for the first time and showed him my little idea for a chorus and we finished the song together. Since then, Simone has become one of my best friends and mentor and when I got home from the studio that night I just balled my eyes out because I knew how important my friendship with Simone would become and how important this song would become to me. The whole thing just felt very fitting and encapsulated the beginning of writing the album.”
Following tracks ‘No Words’, ‘Suffering’, ‘The Love I Give’ and ‘Drink To This’, ‘Friends Like These’ is the fifth single from RHODES’ forthcoming album. Recording during lockdown alongside producers Rich Cooper and Ash Workman (Christine and the Queens, Metronomy), the new album will be RHODES’ first since acclaimed 2015 debut Wishes, which included single ‘Let It All Go’, a duet with Birdy which has amassed over 187 million Spotify streams.
Signing a deal with Nettwerk and Tap Management (Dermot Kennedy, Lana Del Rey, London Grammar) earlier this year, RHODES is revived and ready to share tales of love, loss, friendship, and hope. After a triumphant German acoustic tour, RHODES is set to play his first London headline show in six years to a SOLD-OUT crowd at Omeara next week. For upcoming dates visit: https://www.songkick.com/artists/866325-rhodes
About RHODES
Hertfordshire-raised, London-based singer/songwriter RHODES first captured everyone’s attention with a series of EPs leading up to the release of his acclaimed 2015 debut album Wishes (via Sony Music). The album, which charted inside the UK Top 25, included hit single ‘Let It All Go’, a duet with Birdy that has now amassed 187 million Spotify streams, and sent RHODES’ trajectory skywards. He’s captivated audiences on a series of headline shows and tours, and opened for the likes of Sam Smith, London Grammar and Hozier. He’s thrilled crowds at an array of festivals including Glastonbury, Citadel, Secret Garden Party, Sweden’s Way Out West and Norway’s Øyafestivalen and gained acclaim from the likes of CLASH, BBC, Independent, The Line of Best, Gigwise, Wonderland, Evening Standard and BBC Radio 1 (Live Lounge). The arrival of single ‘No Words’ in March 2022, marked a new period in RHODES’ creative output, which promises to be his most intimate and relatable to date.
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