On May 31st Dutch indie rock band FIEP will release their new self-released EP FRIED RICE. In doing so, FIEP announces the diptych FRIED RICE, MOON BLISS, which will be released in its entirety later this year. The EP was co-written with Willem Smit (Personal Trainer) and recorded with Casper van der Lans at MRF Recordings. A special edition of FRIED RICE will be released tomorrow on Record Store Day. The new single Ha-ha is out now.
FIEP is the the project around musician and songwriter Veerle Suzanna Driessen. She writes witty and evocative indie rock songs that dig beyond just your catchy hook and cunning melody. Her songs don’t just pierce skin-deep but reveal all that lies beneath the surface of the proverbial iceberg: the restlessness, the doubts, the reflections and the dreams. A surprising twist and a playful observation is always lurking around the corner.
Since FIEP's breakthrough with combustible indie rock earworms like Nightshop and Daydreaming, the project has only become more playful, impulsive and unruly. Much of the joyful energy on FRIED RICE MOON BLISS is summoned by the live energy FIEP developed over the past few years as a five-piece band. After a successful Popronde as an OOR talent in 2022, Veerle and her band were booked for Eurosonic Noorderslag. In March 2023, FIEP released its debut EP 77 Stokes Croft, a reference to the British city of Bristol where Veerle got the inspiration to form the project.
Ha-ha is a wonderfully wayward note-to-self in which Veerle struggles aligning with her own inner thoughts. “At its core, the song is about a conversation I have with myself. That you shouldn't let yourself be driven crazy and shouldn't be put off track. It is a song in which I feel powerful, but actually, it arrived from a situation in which I felt insecure.” The song swells to a spectacularly noise-laden climax, as FIEP turns gloom into glee. Listen to Ha-ha below.
Along with the launch of the previously released singles R U Reading?! and My Birthday Party, FIEP is embarking on a new chapter, to coincide with an exclusive vinyl release on Record Store Day 2024: Birthday Party. The A-side features the EP FRIED RICE + the single R U Reading?! and the B-side features the EP 77 Stokes Croft. The band will also play 4 instores during RSD and will perform at the RSD afterparty in Patronaat, Haarlem. FIEP will also sell recycled merch - a special edition in collaboration with Record Store Day.
Shows:
19.04 - Vera, Groningen /w NewDad
25.05 - Fries StraatFestival, Leeuwarden
01.06 - Dauwpop, Hellendoorn
21.06 - Hipfest, Scheveningen
20.07 - Zwarte Cross, Lichtenvoorde
31.08 - Bruis festival, Maastricht