Fightmilk reveal new single ‘That Thing You Did’

Hot on the heels of announcing their third album, DIY power pop quartet Fightmilk have unleashed its third single, That Thing You Did.

The track sees Fightmilk return to their vicious and riff-heavy best, as singer and lyricist Lily Rae explores trying (and failing) to forgive someone after a bad relationship.

Rae explains that the song’s origins came from one of the band’s regular discussions about cover versions: “That Thing You Did started with the title. Alex wanted us to cover That Thing You Do for a show, and I liked how putting it in the past tense made it sound so much more ominous and vengeful. So I wrote the song from the viewpoint of somebody who’s just trying to move on from a bad relationship, but the ‘souvenirs’ in this case just won’t leave. As we were writing it, the meaning started oozing out without me realising.”

“It’s about refusing to forgive somebody,” Lily adds. “Just because somebody says sorry, it doesn’t mean you have to accept it.”

Talking about the song’s creation, guitarist Alex Wisgard says: “We kept banging our heads against That Thing You Did for about eighteen months, because we were trying to be too clever about it – we’ve lost a lot of good songs that way, but we all had faith in this one. The version you hear was maybe the fifth or sixth time we’d played it, recorded about half an hour after we nailed the arrangement. Lily came back with a whole new chorus the next day, and that was that – the only time we’ve ever finished a song in the studio. And I still want to cover That Thing You Do.”

You can listen to the single here or via YouTube below.

The track is lifted from the band’s upcoming third album ‘No Souvenirs’—a riotous combination of riffage, pop hooks, angst, heartfelt emotions, wit, and wisdom crashed out with infectious, gleeful abandon, the new album will be released on November 15, 2024 via Fika Recordings (Mammoth Penguins, Fortitude Valley) and new kids on the block INH Records.

Three years in the making, the 12-track album is available to pre-order now from https://fightmilkisaband.bandcamp.com/album/no-souvenirs

Following swiftly on from the success of the album’s well-received first two singles Summer Bodies and No Souvenirs, which explored issues of body imagine and death respectively, Fightmilk are increasing the tempo as they build toward the album release which is to be marked with a headline show at London’s Paper Dress Vintage on November 15, 2024 with a full tour to follow.

Having relished in the visceral pleasure of playing together and live on stage again post-Covid, the band’s new sound reflects that joy, the abandonment in doing what you love and the catharsis of doing so. Moving on with their third album and embarking on a more intuitive and collaborative style of writing, the band have embraced their influences and gone with their instincts.

The new single demonstrates how well they have achieved those ambitions, and how making a screaming racket in front of people can be both elemental and fun, sensitive and muscular within the span of moments.

“As a songwriter, I’ve disciplined myself to keep to ‘first thought best thought’ more, and not overwork lyrics and melodies into the ground,” says Lily of the new approach. “We’re more secure in keeping weird shit in and not adding or cutting things because it feels like we’re supposed to.”

With international acclaim from the likes of STEREOGUM, Kerrang! Magazine, The Quietus, DIY Magazine, Brooklyn Vegan and The Line Of Best Fit already under their belts, and having sold out headline gigs across the UK, in addition to sharing stages with bands such as Art Brut, Yawners and Problem Patterns, Fightmilk look set to build on their reputation as one of the DIY scene’s best loved bands in the run-up to their much-anticipated third album.

‘No Souvenirs’ track list

1. Summer Bodies
2. That Thing You Did
3. Canines
4. Back from Tour
5. Yearning and Pining
6. Banger #7
7. No Souvenirs
8. Inferno
9. My Best Me
10. Eating For Two
11. Paddling Pool
12. 30

New album ‘No Souvenirs’ will be released November 15, 2024 via Fika Recordings/INH Records. Pre-order here.

Live date

15.11.24 – London – Paper Dress Vintage (album release show)
16.11.24 – Cambridge – Indie Pop All Dayer
27.11.24 – Sheffield – Sydney & Matilda (w/ Slash Fiction)
28.11.24 – Glasgow – Stereo (w/ Slime City)

Tickets – https://linktr.ee/Fightmilk