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Steven Adams and The French Drops

Steven Adams and The French Drops - Keep It Light [12”/CD]

Artist: Steven Adams and The French Drops
Title: Keep It Light
Format: 12” vinyl LP | digipack CD
Cat#: Fika082LP | Fika082CD
Release date: 21st August 2020
Bandcamp | Spotify

“Making this record was a joy,” says Steven Adams of his latest album with his band the French Drops. He even let the positive mood around the making of it influence its title. “I love making records but sometimes time, money, or people - including me - fuck up my enjoyment of the process. So this time I kept saying to myself ‘keep it light’ whenever I was making decisions.”

The buoyant and relaxed mood can be heard across the album in its gloriously skipping tones, as it traverses across indie, pop, alt-rock and more tender acoustic and folk-leaning moments. It’s a craft that Adams has been honing for years as the lead figure in outfits such as The Broken Family Band and Singing Adams, so much so that by now it oozes out of him with a seamless grace.

The feelings of serenity and solace he experienced whilst writing the songs themselves carried over into the final product. “I did a big chunk of the writing on holiday in the South of France last year,” he says. “We were staying in this big, rambling house that had a kind of turret room that was cut off from everything, so I’d go up there in the mornings and sit on the floor and feel like a proper artist while everyone else was eating croissants.”

Once described by The Guardian as “one of Britain’s smartest, most underrated songwriters”, Adams’ aim was clear with this record. “I wanted to make a super personal, light-hearted and upbeat record,” he says. “I wanted to do the whole write about what you know thing and keep it as light as possible.” The lightness of the album was a guiding principle but it wasn’t a rule set in stone, as Adams soon found out the deeper he plunged into himself. “We had a running joke about how we were making an album called Keep it Light that is full of songs about racists and panic attacks and existential angst,” he says. “But it does you good to get that stuff out. Writing songs and making records keeps me sane.”

The album is one as full of joy and beauty as it is ink black humour and caustic revelation. On the gorgeous shuffle of “Oh Dear” - recalling the kind of stripped back beauty of Yo La Tengo at their finest - Adams sings: “and true love will not find you in the end.” A knowing nod and a wink to Daniel Johnston’s earnest refrain that indeed true love will find you in the end. It’s such moments that fill the album with equal parts weight and lightness, a smart touch delivered with a deft hand. Of the broad range of the album and its wide-spanning lyrical content Adams simply says: “the upbeat stuff is pretty upbeat and the darker stuff is pretty dark, but it’s all still with some humour.”

Perhaps the song that best encapsulates this split between the light and the dark and the funny and the personal is “My Brother, the Racist” a self explanatory song that skips along with an infectious groove as Adams sings about, well, his racist brother. It unfurls in an intimate manner that recalls the kind of deeply personal allure of Sun Kill Moon’s Benji. “It’s an awkward thing to sing about, but it was the right thing to do,” he reflects. “I’ve written about British racism before, but never this close to home.”

Recorded at Soup by Simon Trought and with band members Laurie Earle, Daniel Fordham, David Stewart and Michael Wood, this is the first time Adams has worked in such a harmonious and in sync way. “This is the first record I’ve made with the band all playing in one room, getting everything down at once,” he says. “We played live with all of us on the floor, and it came together really quickly. But we still gave ourselves time to experiment and do fun stuff all over it.

This combination of allowing things to be light, not overstressing, the harmony of the group, and the seamless knack of Adams’ songwriting has resulted in a truly special record. “I’m usually sick of a record by the time it’s mixed and I don’t get much of a kick out of hearing my own stuff, but this one’s different,” he says. “I know I sound like a wanker saying this but this is the best record I’ve ever made.”

“The French Drops have created an engaging, emotional, intelligent and beautifully crafted album. A varied, cohesive and downright beautiful LP, Keep It Light is a thing of pure joy.” Louder Than War [9/10]

“The highlights are those tracks that adhere most diligently to the command in the album’s title - the breezy Band-alike “Bring on the Naps”, the wry, arch and Go-Betweenish “Going to Everglades”, and the curious but infectious “My Brother, The Racist” which suggests Jonathan Richman having a lash at the protest song” Uncut [7/10]

“The ten songs on ‘Keep It Light’ do find him in particularly fine form and if you’re looking for an entry point then start here and work your way back through everything you can get your hands on. And for the long-term fans, your singing Adams is in fine fettle and as dependably entertaining as ever.” Folk Radio

Keep It Light, is like a breath of fresh air in the current political climate. It is fun, uplifting and energetic. Keep It Light does exactly what it says on the tin. The upbeat, jovial mood runs throughout the entire album. It bridges an attractive mixture of genres: indie, alt-rock and pop, with folk-esque moments and moments of soft, tender acoustics.” JoyZine

“The songs may well be about racism, panic attacks and general disappointment, but it’s never heavy going. Existential angst with a light touch.” Shire Folk

“Desparate to keep it upbeat there are times when the music backs dark humour, like My Brother The Racist, or just joyous fun, like Bring on the Naps, a salute to the art of having a sly snooze.” Express [4/5]

“This is genre hopping in the best way, filled with superbly crafted, melodic tunes that impress and delight in equal measure.” Lonesome Highway

“Musically too, the track seems to walk the line between emotional states, the bright shuffle of acoustic guitar and drums contrasted, by the more melancholic tones of piano and bass. Steven has suggested this is the best record that he’s ever made, and while that’s quite some claim, on this evidence we’re not going to argue.” For The Rabbits

“Adams is still pulling out the steady folk-tinged power pop that works like a snake charmer on my ears” Austin Town Hall

Steven Adams and The French Drops - Soft Landings [Digital]

Artist: Steven Adams and The French Drops
Title: Soft Landings
Format: Digital single
Cat#: Fika082SG3
Release date: 24th July 2020
Bandcamp | Spotify

Soft Landings is the final single to be taken from the forthcoming album Keep It Light.

This started off as a cryptic short story I was writing, but I was playing with the guitar melody and grabbed some of the words for this. It’s about a thing happening on a summer evening. Inge Thomson sings these incredible backing vocals on it; she has one of my favourite voices and it’s always a thrill to hear her on one of my songs. Our old pal Horse played some really cool pedal steel as well.

Steven Adams is a "national musical treasure" (The Guardian) who fronted country pranksters The Broken Family Band throughout the 2000s before calling time on that band at the height of their success. 

He's been ploughing his own furrow ever since, with multiple name changes (Singing Adams, The Singing Adams, Steven James Adams, Steven Adams & The French Drops), and a series of albums ranging from DIY indie rock, intimate folk and - with 2018's Virtue Signals - experiments in krautrock and politically-charged widescreen pop.

Originally from South Wales, Adams now lives in East London.

Steven Adams and The French Drops - My Brother, The Racist [Digital]

Artist: Steven Adams and The French Drops
Title: My Brother, The Racist
Format: Digital single
Cat#: Fika082SG2
Release date: 26th June 2020
Bandcamp | Spotify

My Brother, The Racist is the second single taken from the forthcoming album “Keep It Light”, out in August 2020.

True story. It’s an awkward thing to sing about, but it felt like the right thing to do. Write about what you know.

I worried that it was a bit depressing, but as soon as we started playing together it felt positive and optimistic. We finished recording just before lockdown and although that seems like a very long time ago, I’m so glad we got this song down. 

Steven Adams is a "national musical treasure" (The Guardian) who fronted country pranksters The Broken Family Band throughout the 2000s before calling time on that band at the height of their success. 

He's been ploughing his own furrow ever since, with multiple name changes (Singing Adams, The Singing Adams, Steven James Adams, Steven Adams & The French Drops), and a series of albums ranging from DIY indie rock, intimate folk and - with 2018's Virtue Signals - experiments in krautrock and politically-charged widescreen pop.

Originally from South Wales, Adams now lives in East London.

“My Brother, The Racist is a song with a somewhat self-explanatory title as Steven explains, “it’s an awkward thing to sing about, but it felt like the right thing to do”. Like much of upcoming album, Keep It Light, here Steven seems to play with ideas of darkness and light, “I worried that it was a bit depressing, but as soon as we started playing together it felt positive and optimistic”. Certainly lyrically it hits a downbeat tone almost instantly, “my brother, the racist will die and I won’t know when Guess I’ll find out later, I can hold on till then”. From there though, the track seems to leave room for growth, Steven explores how they ended up the way they both are, and ultimately seems to find strength in letting go of a relationship that could never work. Musically too, the track seems to walk the line between emotional states, the bright shuffle of acoustic guitar and drums contrasted, by the more melancholic tones of piano and bass. Steven has suggested this is the best record that he’s ever made, and while that’s quite some claim, on this evidence we’re not going to argue.” For The Rabbits

“Maybe it’s just me, but the song title alone speaks to my last few months on the Internet, though not necessarily with my immediate family. Musically, Adams is still pulling out the steady folk-tinged power pop that works like a snake charmer on my ears; you can’t go wrong adding a subtle piano line anywhere in a tune” Austin Town Hall

Steven Adams and The French Drops - Bring on the Naps [Digital]

Artist: Steven Adams and The French Drops
Title: Bring on the Naps
Format: Digital single
Cat#: Fika082SG1
Release date: 15th May 2020
Bandcamp | Spotify

French-Drops-blue.jpg

 Steven Adams and The French Drops return with Bring on the Naps - a celebration of the daytime snooze. It’s the most upbeat, cheerful song from Adams for years; self referential in the style of Jonathon Richman, hinting of  a Crooked Rain-era Pavement, with a loving embrace of a few ‘classic’ musical tropes chucked in for good measure.

We threw a lot at it; some sax, my kids, some bum notes. It’s more fun than a song about sleeping should be. My kids are singing on it because they were always around when I was writing it and I got them to sing on the choruses so I didn’t have to. When we first started recording I was belting it out, like a budget Axl Rose, but I loosened up."

The accompanying video was shot and edited during lockdown, with a roster of nearly 50 friends, associates and grudging accomplices, including:

The artists Dan Hillier, Tom Leamon and Babak Ganjei. The folk musicians Emily Barker, Lukas Drinkwater, John Smith, Martin Green (Lau) and Inge Thomson. Actors: Tom Price (who's also a Magic FM DJ), Finlay Robertson, Dave Kelly and Kirsten Slenning. Indie rock musicians Dan Mangan, Darren Hayman,  Justin Young (The Vaccines) and Mark Boxall (Mammoth Penguins). Legendary Spanish, Valencia and Middlesborough midfielder Gaizka Mendieta. Comedy writer Joel Morris and TV critic Julia Raeside. Adams's in-laws. Three dogs. Some kids.

Bring on the Naps is the first track taken from the forthcoming album “Keep It Light”, out in August 2020.

Steven Adams is a "national musical treasure" (The Guardian) who fronted country pranksters The Broken Family Band throughout the 2000s before calling time on that band at the height of their success. 

He's been ploughing his own furrow ever since, with multiple name changes (Singing Adams, The Singing Adams, Steven James Adams, Steven Adams & The French Drops), and a series of albums ranging from DIY indie rock, intimate folk and - with 2018's Virtue Signals - experiments in krautrock and politically-charged widescreen pop.

Originally from South Wales, Adams now lives in East London.

It’s a celebration of the daytime snooze, the most upbeat, cheerful song from Adams for years; self-referential in the style of Jonathon Richman, hinting of a Crooked Rain-era PavementAmericana UK

Those familiar with Adam’s work over the years will know its something of a treasure to get something as upbeat as Bring On The Naps, but it sways and saunters through, sunnily extoling the virtues of the afternoon nap, with shimmering organ, Sax and just about everything else.Backseat Mafia

you can’t ignore the natural energy swinging through, playing atop that bouncing piano and the joyous choruses involving Adams’ own children backing him upAustin Town Hall

Steven Adams and The French Drops join Fika Recordings

I reckon it must have been back in 2003, probably even 2002 actually, that I saw Steven play for the first time, either in Norwich or at what was (at the time) a tiny little festival in Oxfordshire. I seem to have seen him play quite a bit since, although it did take me 13 years to book him for a second time for a show, now with The French Drops, having booked his previous band in 2005. Sorry about that.

Cut to the chase. There's a new album called Keep It Light from Steven Adams and The French Drops coming in August. And I'm over the moon to be releasing it on Fika.

There's the first single from that record out tomorrow. But before that, there's a video...
So behold, the video for Bring on the Naps - a lockdown anthem penned before any of us had a clue just how much daytime there was to sleep in.

There's an all-star cast of artists, folk musicians, radio DJs, actors, rock stars, a Spanish football legend, some of Steven's in-laws, several dogs and some children.

ALSO. TONIGHT. Steven Adams in staying in. A gig, direct from Steven's home, to your home, via the internet. Get yourself a can out of the fridge, buy a ticket and watch something unfold - more details over here: Side Door Access

Finally, you can pre-order the album on vinyl, CD or digitally now from shop.fikarecordings.com