Toronto R&B group The Free Label has released a new single from their upcoming LP, MIA (Money Isn’t Available).
“Up In Flames” is now available, while the entire nine-song collection drops on May 29.
“Up in Flames” is a slow burn about two lovers making the best of a doomed relationship. Over a smoky beat enhanced by swells of guitar and keys, lead vocalist Josh Daniel locks into a heavenly and hypnotic harmony with Spanish-Canadian pop songstress Oleyada. These two voices merge their respective sounds of R&B influenced hip-hop and bedroom pop to deliver a collaboration steeped in sweet soul. Reassuring us that in all times of crisis, everything is going to be all right.
“When we first started working with the beat we got strong Ariana Grande vibes from it. We felt it needed some female energy so we had to get our friend, Oleyada to feature on the track. We love the duality of the song. It’s a very endearing and, bright sounding track, but the lyrics go in a completely different direction. It tries to hide the heartbreak, and uncertainty that comes from moving on from a bad breakup… essentially the end of the world”
When it comes to the video, the making was unintentionally relevant, the world may be figuratively “on fire,” but you can’t help but look on the bright side. With the original plans for the music video derailed by COVID-19, The Free Label decided to get creative.
They reached out to their fans and friends and them to send in 10-15 second video clips of themselves dancing, singing, or acting along to the lyrics of “Up In Flames.” 80+ submissions later, The Free Label, with the help of their fans and friends, created a music video in isolation.
The band shares,
“We thought that making this video with our friends would alleviate some of the uncertainty we are all feeling right now. We wanted to do something fun that would bring people together and spend some of the free time we now have. We always wanted to do a music video with a bit more community, and this became the perfect chance to do it.”
After the 2018 EP Lift You Up underwent its cycle of hype, the quartet set their sights on a brand new direction: bringing back the term “boy band.” While acts in the same vein such as Brockhampton have successfully accomplished this in recent years, The Free Label puts more emphasis on R&B, featuring expansive vocal melodies and sexy, attitudinal guitar voicings.