Boy Willows has continued to showcase his musical versatility and vision, with new single “Fila and Friends” serving as an updated and revised version of last year’s stunning “Fila”.
Releasing “Fila” almost one year ago today, the track saw the LA-based Boy Willows (the musical moniker of Landon Fleischman) teaming up with actor and musician Dylan Minnette to craft a haunting piece of mesmerising indie-pop. The result was a stunning flex of his musical muscles, and now, with new EP BANGS out in the world today, Boy Willows has unveiled another take on the track by way of “Fila and Friends”.
An exceptional update on the original, the new version sees Minnette’s vocals remaining while complemented by the addition of Alisa Xayalith of The Naked and Famous.
“In a satisfying way, ‘Fila and Friends’ comes full circle,” Fleischman explained in a statement. “‘Fila’ is all about wanting to belong…and in the past year I’ve experienced so much love I had to put out an updated sentiment. ‘Fila and Friends’ is a hopeful new chapter, one with more love.”
“I wrote my verse for ‘Fila’ during a very transitional and fragile period in my life,” added Xayalith. ““I felt like I was stuck in a loop of catastrophizing and bouts of self-imposter syndrome when making important decisions in my career. Landon’s lyric ‘Runnin’ runnin’ runnin’ ’round in circles’ was the perfect launch pad to explore this idea.
“During times like these, the friends I have around me remind me of who I am when I can’t see the forest for the trees. It takes a while before things start making sense, and you begin to see yourself in a more positive light.”
While “Fila” shows one side of the coin, the new “Fila and Friends” shows strength in numbers, and highlights the benefits of musical collaboration in a time when solitude feels forced upon us and community is ever so desired.
Boy Willows’ “Fila and Friends” and his BANGS EP are both out now.
