SINGLE REVIEW: Drag Behind by Fraulein
London-based grungers Fräulein are back with their first release of the year, and trust us when we say it's a good 'un. Drag Behind continues the duo's flair for raw, gripping rock with an infectiously simple guitar riff at its core.
Initially formed in Bristol, Joni Samuels (vocals, guitar) and Karsten van der Tol (drums) made a statement with their 90's-tinged alt-rock before moving to London in 2021 and joining forces with Practise Music (Connie Constance, Squid, deep tan).
When we last spoke to Fräulein, they'd just released the slow-building bruiser Belly. They've clearly been busy since, playing shows with Coven besties Projector and Sick Joy and recording new tracks, like latest single Drag Behind.
Drag Behind creeps into your eardrums with its silky guitar grooves, building in tension with the additions of thumping drumbeats and brooding vocals. Bursting into Fräulein's biggest chorus yet, Joni's commanding voice flirts with her crunchy guitar shreds and Karsten's thrashing cymbals. If you ask us, this is Fräulein's best song to date and proves that the pair have a promising career ahead of them.
Commenting on the new song, Joni explains: "This is a song about feeling out-of-place in your surroundings, comparing yourself to people and feeling kind of bitter about it. Allowing those feelings to impact you negatively, even though you try to ignore them. You want to reach your potential and be yourself, but your constant comparisons drag you down."
Karsten expands: "This is one of the first songs we ever played together, putting the bones together almost 3 years ago. Since then, it’s been baptized in fire through gigs and rehearsals, constantly being refined along the way. Endlessly energetic, this song is so much fun to play!"
Drag Behind was the first song that Fräulein ever put out into the world, with the original demo still up on their Bandcamp. We even have this adorable photo of them as babies back in 2020 when they recorded it!
The band have built on the momentum from their first releases and have started to establish themselves as a ferocious live act. Highlights of the past year include playing a sold-out debut headline show at iconic The Windmill, plus support slots alongside the likes of Goat Girl, Talk Show and Folly Group, to name a few.
We even got to catch the duo's impactful live presence for ourselves when we headed down to The Loft, Portsmouth on Thursday (24th February) and saw them tear up the stage with Joni's boastful pair of lungs, fierce guitar riffs, and Karsten's raucous drumming. If you get the chance, grab a ticket to a Fräulein show and witness the powerful pair for yourself.
2022 is destined to be a big year for Fräulein, with the band both returning to the studio and heading out on a further string of shows - including a tour in March supporting Coven favourites The Mysterines across the UK and Ireland.
"It’s been such a big goal for us to play shows outside of our usual stomping grounds, and tour around the UK and Ireland," says Fräulein on their upcoming The Mysterines tour. "Playing shows is what we enjoy the most, and we’re so happy to be sharing the stage with two amazing bands. And also, given that this is our first time going on a tour like this, we can’t wait to see what goes wrong!"
Catch Fräulein live at these dates:
March 11th - The Lanes, Bristol (Free Entry Headline)
March 18th - Ulster Sports Club, Belfast (Supporting The Mysterines)
March 19th - The Workmans Club, Dublin (Supporting The Mysterines)
March 23rd - G2, Glasgow (Supporting The Mysterines)
March 24th - Social, Hull (Supporting The Mysterines)
March 25th - Brundenell Social Club, Leeds (Supporting The Mysterines)
March 26th - Mash, Cambridge (Supporting The Mysterines)
March 30th - Band on The Wall, Manchester (Supporting The Mysterines)
March 31st - Castle & Falcon, Birmingham (Supporting The Mysterines)
April 1st - Electric Ballroom, London (Supporting The Mysterines)
April 2nd - Invisible Wind Factory, Liverpool (Supporting The Mysterines)
April 3rd - The Lady Luck, Canterbury
April 15th - Day + Night, Manchester
April 24th - DIY Alive, London
May 21st - The Hunter Club, Bury St Edmunds
Stream Drag Behind on Spotify and Apple Music
Review by Chloe Robbins
Photography by Raphael van Arkadie and Hannah Mason
