Frightened Rabbit - The Winter of Mixed Drinks

Frightened Rabbit are, undoubtedly, rising quickly through the ranks of the Scottish music scene. Soon to be seen supporting Snow Patrol at their Glasgow mini-festival, the band are riding a wave of success and this, their third album, is their most highly-anticipated to date. The question is, does it live up to the hype…?

Whereas the band’s first two albums began with folky songs, The Winter of Mixed Drinks begins with Things: a noisy, atmospheric beast which assaults the listener before descending into the catchiness we have come to expect from these Selkirk lads. Next up is Swim Until You Can’t See Land, the band’s first single from the album, and rightly so. It’s a piece of indie-folk perfection, with an amazingly sing-along-able chorus and strings-aplenty. Towards the end of the song vocalist Scott Hutchison sings “Are you really a man or are you a bag of sand”, a clever reference to one of the album’s middle moments.

The album storms on at a tremendous pace, much like its predecessors, and tracks like the superbly captivating The Wrestle, and the indie-tastic Nothing Like You allow the band to showcase just why they are held in such high regard. Short and sweet mid-album song Man/Bag of Sand harks back to Swim Until You Can’t See Land, providing a running theme throughout the album and ensuring the album holds together.

Penultimate track Living in Colour is a storming song, which powers through its 3.50 running time; its twinkling glockenspiels, delicate strings and thundering drums accompanying the strong guitar work and Scott Hutchison’s slick-but-rough vocals. Closer Yes I Would is then classic Frightened Rabbit: folky and poppy in all the right places, providing a perfect ending to a classic album in the making.

Does The Winter of Mixed Drinks, then, live up to the aura of expectation which surrounds it? Luckily for Frightened Rabbit, it does and surpasses even the best predictions. Swooping and diving between upbeat sing-alongs and melancholy moments, Frightened Rabbit here display a greater understanding of their art, and a wider range than previously seen, whilst still ticking all the boxes of a great album.

If you can’t wait until the 1st of March, here’s a special treat. We’ve got our hands on non-LP track Fun Stuff as a totally free, no strings attached download. Listen below, and enjoy!


Download here (right click, save traget as...)

The Winter of Mixed Drinks is out on the 1st March via Fat Cat Records, with single Nothing Like You preceding it on the 22nd of February.
For more info check out www.myspace.com/frightenedrabbit

ES