Nick Frater - Aerodrome Motel (2022) [Hi-Res]

“Renaissance man” is a term that’s perhaps too often loosely employed, but in the case of NICK FRATER it’s completely apt. Prolific, inventive, absurdly talented, even a bit of a musical entrepreneur, the Croydon, England-based singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist and producer joins Big Stir Records following a run of several critically acclaimed releases in recent years. His 2019 album FULL FATHOM FREIGHT-TRAIN (released on his own Great Sheiks imprint) proved to be a runaway success on the global guitar-pop scene, ranking as the #1 album of the year with David Bash (International Pop Overthrow), #3 at Don Valentine‘s I Don’t Hear A Single, and drawing rave reviews from the likes of Shindig! Magazine and many more.

Having already followed that watershed album with the fascinating and unique pandemic-era experiment 59 Vignettes (consisting of precisely that many one-minute song sketches), Frater‘s back with another full-length album of the full-blown songcraft at which he excels. FAST and LOOSE, Nick’s fifth album (out September 19 on BSR) more than amply demonstrates what fans and critics already know: Frater has a flair for sophisticated pop songwriting, with reviewers comparing him to Cheap Trick, Pilot, Jellyfish, and even Gilbert O’Sullivan. Nick himself describes his music as “The Carpenters meet The Flaming Lips, with a dose of Beach Boys for good measure,” and makes no secret of his particular love for Todd Rundgren — even hiding some subtle and not so subtle references across his album titles and artwork.