Pala

Hailing from St. Albans where the trio of Ed Macfarlane (vocals, synths, bass), Edd Gibson (guitar) and Jack Savidge (drums) met as teenagers, Friendly Fires' intuitive grasp of kinetic art funk, electronic euphoria and stadium-sized anthems has made them one of the most exciting and critically feted bands of the decade. Named after the island in Aldous Huxley's 1962 novel, 'Island', the band's sophomore effort 'Pala' was produced by Friendly Fires themselves and Paul Epworth (award-winning producer with credits including Bloc Party, Cee-Lo Green, Florence and the Machine, plus remixes for Santigold and P. Diddy). The album was recorded over 12 months in various locations including London, St. Albans itself, Rye in Sussex, Yvetot in France, and New York.

The artwork for 'Pala' features a beautiful photograph of a parrot from a personal project of famed fashion photographer Sølve Sundsbø (Dazed and Confused, Yves Saint Laurent, Coldplay, Alexander McQueen) while the album also sees musical collaborations with America's premier gospel choir - the world famous Harlem Gospel Choir (on "Hurting") and Holy Ghost's Alex Frankel (who plays clavinet on "True Love"). The lead single from the album is the excellant "Live Those Days Tonight".

"With white-hot club-wreckers, jittery Afropop, and art rock that recalls Talking Heads at their funkiest."
-SPIN

"The strengths that make 'Pala' such an enjoyable experience are clear: big hooks, fun lyrics and a not-quite-chillwave rhythm that screams Brazil more than Southern California."
-CMJ