Lauren Deakin Davies a.k.a. DIDI recently won the prestigious NMG Producer of the Year Award (for the second year in a row), as well as winning NMG’s Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award. Lauren is a self-taught record producer who juggles her time with dual roles of both producer and performer which includes DIDI, her four-piece band.
Her confidence combined with her producing skills and talent has led Lauren into mentoring, public speaking, and lecturing. In addition, she is a popular specialist on the music panel circuit where Lauren encourages women into production roles.
Lauren’s fifth single to be released is “Fickle Friends” and will be followed up next month with her much-anticipated EP. It will contain all of her singles to date plus “GO!” an unreleased track, all of which Lauren has been performing at gigs over the last 18 months.
Written by Lauren Deakin Davies and produced by Lauren and producer Rhiannon Mair, a.k.a. indie pop/rock artist RUEN, “Fickle Friends” is a pop/punk song with a fresh, take-no-prisoners perspective on friendship.
The song’s guitar intro is very short but commanding. The high energy retro pop guitar sounding like a synth will hit you head on. But just as you’re moving to the danceable groove, it suddenly drops, taking a back seat to a much slower melody of heavy drums. The entrance of DIDI’s distinctive vocals adds an air of impending drama.
DIDI’s voice illuminates an emotionally raw but brutal honesty as it courses along the driving soundscape. You can really feel the tension winding up as she bitterly points out to her friend how their friendship has gone off the rails. However, this confrontation is not heading toward a typical pre-chorus reconciliation.
It is here in the pre-chorus where DIDI’s forceful vocals point out her friend’s flaws with every word punctuated with each drum beat. The guitar and drums ramp up like driving rain and couple with the sharp intakes of breath you hear at the start of each “can’t you”. This is when you can really experience the exasperation in DIDI’s forceful vocals as she rebukes her friend for her actions.
Heading into the chorus where there’s a surprising transformation of the lyrics cleverly backpedaling from the situation. Here is where DIDI’s vocals effortlessly switch gears emotionally. You can actually feel this as she beautifully showcases a softer impassioned vocal conveying a powerful underlying hurt.
Coming out of an energetic interlude, the last verses give the song its dramatic point. It is here where DIDI’s simmering vocals execute a bluntness that rise and fall with the melody. She demonstrates a powerful vocal climb as she holds out the note at the end “lies”. The guitar and drums then explode into a brilliantly fast and furious run that vibrates through your entire body.
DIDI returns to the chorus leaving behind the previous approach and attacks it with a punk attitude of renewed vocal vigor. She then skillfully winds down with her last observation that maybe they’re just fickle friends this time.
The song is cleverly written and arranged with a punk/pop vibe that might be the anthem for anyone who has a friendship that seems to erratically change frequently.
Highly recommended. Lauren Deakin Davies is known as a creative powerhouse and she doesn’t disappoint with “Fickle Friends”. Her undeniable talent as a songwriter and producer is very clearly demonstrated in this song. This award-winning artist should be on your essential listening playlist and her highly anticipated forthcoming EP should definitely not be missed.
Be sure to check out our interview with Lauren Deakin Davis from earlier this year.
You can purchase or stream “Fickle Friends” on all platforms HERE.
Get updates on DIDI’s website: www.didimusic.co.uk
Follow DIDI on Social Media:
Twitter: @IamDIDImusic
Instagram: @iamdidimusic
Check out DIDI’s music on:
Soundcloud: iamdidimusic