Up-and-coming rockers FELICITY have released their heavy-hitting debut album, Dear Universe.
The album, recorded over 30 days with producer Andrew Wade (A Day To Remember, the Ghost Inside), is the band’s first full-length release.
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Alternative Press has expected great things from FELICITY for a while now, including them on top-track lists in February 2019 and again in April 2021. After more than two years of waiting, the group’s debut album ushers in a new era.
Beginning with a cacophony of slow-building distortion, the album opens with “Carpe Diem” and explodes into the chug-heavy “Ignite.” The rest of Dear Universe features all the ingredients of a well-rounded band, from pop-inspired acoustic tracks such as “You Got This” to stripped-down confessional numbers such as “Highs & Lows.” Complete with abrasive breakdowns sprinkled throughout, the record maintains its edge while simultaneously giving listeners an emotionally transparent experience.
While Dear Universe may be the band’s debut full-length, they are far from newcomers to the scene. Their fourth show ever as a band took place at the Orlando native’s hometown Warped Tour, and they’ve since played alongside legends such as Good Charlotte while setting sail on the Warped Rewind At Sea cruise. But despite their resumé of performing for massive audiences, the band approached recording as newcomers to the process.
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“We approached this record as songwriters for the first time,” guitarist Cory Nicholas says in a press release. “We want to be a band that can fit in everywhere and make a variety of songs that resonate with all kinds of people.”
Included on Dear Universe is “The Weather,” which they released a video for in June 2021. According to the band, the track breaks new ground.
“What’s really amazing about ‘The Weather’ is that we feel like it’s one of those songs that is so different yet somehow so familiar,” they say. “Through the synths and production elements sprinkled throughout the hooks to the campfire sing-along chorus, we wanted each section to feel like it was building up to this monumental moment while showcasing its personality.
“The song is about emotional trauma,” they continue. “But we didn’t want to use the old ‘Oh, she hurt me’ imagery like we’ve done a thousand times. That’s when we thought of the idea to use actual seasons in place of girls’ names. It’s almost like we were giving weather a personality, so it’s also the most clever song lyrically that we’ve ever written.”
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The album includes tracks from their previous EP releases, yet it remains refreshingly original in its content. For fans of well-produced instrumentation, harmonizing clean vocals and heavy-hitting breakdowns, FELICITY are a band you don’t want to miss.
Find the tracklist for Dear Universe below, and let us know your thoughts on the new album in the comments!
Dear Universe tracklisting:
1. “Carpe Diem”
2. “Ignite”
3. “Hit And Run”
4. “Pendulum”
5. “Ghost Town”
6. “You Got This”
7. “The Weather”
8. “Wish You Weren’t Here”
9. “Lonely Nights”
10. “Highs & Lows”
11. “C’est La Vie”