Track of the Day: Me And My Friends “High As The Sun” (2018)

Ahead of the release of their new record Look Up later in the year, UK quintet Me And My Friends have given us a taste of what to expect with the release of their new single: “High As The Sun”.

Me and My Friends take their cues from an eclectic range of influences, drawing inspiration from Ghanian highlife, afrobeat, Afro-Brazilian folk and more. Their Bandcamp bio describes it best: “The sound of English folk colliding head-on with the golden-era music of 1970’s West Africa and the Caribbean.” The group released their debut album Beneath A Level Head to critical acclaim in 2012, their second; Hide Your Way was released in 2016, and was featured on BBC Radio in the UK. Now, the band are all set to return with their third.

“High As The Sun” is a subtle, but effective, fusion of English folk music with highlife and afrobeat sounds. An exploration on the theme of nostalgia, the track is infectiously optimistic. There is just a really warmth and brightness to it, and a lot to like, from that darting clarinet, to songwriter Nick Rasle’s guitar work, to that deceptively simple groove that is just too hard to deny. Joyful stuff. 

“High As The Sun” is available now. The album Look Up will be released December 6th through Split Shift Records. For more on the band you can check out their Official Site, or find them on Facebook and Twitter.

Simon Clark

Books Editor. An admirer of songs and reader of books. Simon has a PhD in English and Comparative Literature. All errant apostrophes are his own.