Fake A Smile channel the breezy beaches of Bournemouth with "Prom Dress"

Today, the indie genre sits comfortably between the buoyant stylings of synth-fuelled pop and the heavier edge of rock music. Striking gold with this quintessential British indie sound, Bournemouth trio Fake A Smile (comprised of bandmates Jamie Kravos, Luca Ellison, and Ryan Poole) have crafted a signature sunny wooziness in their music, with latest single "Prom Dress" perfectly executing this marriage of styles in their own authentic way.

Giving people a taste of what’s to come from their upcoming debut EP, Shoot Me To The Moon, Fake A Smile have teamed up with Mercury Prize winning producer Gianluca Buccellati on the dreamy indie track.
Having worked with the likes of Arlo Parks, Biig Piig and Lana Del Rey, Buccellati spontaneously met the boys of Fake A Smile in a London hotel where they were working at the time. “Straight off the plane from LA, wearing a baggy Hawaiian shirt and cork hat, Gianluca walked through the doors off a bustling Tower Bridge Road into the hotel lobby, where behind the desk, Luca and I saw him walk in, sticking out like a sore thumb against the London commuters,” Kravos, the band's frontman, recounts.

Hitting it off, they ended up in L.A. together not soon after, leaving their day jobs behind to begin creating the bones of their upcoming EP. Buccellati adds, "I love developing projects from their early stages, and this collaboration has been creatively rewarding. We’ve formed great friendships and we’re all really proud of the music we made. I’m looking forward to watching the world discover Fake A Smile!"

Whilst it may have been pieced together on the other side of the Atlantic, "Prom Dress" gives off the very essence you’d expect from a band who grew up on the beaches of Bournemouth. Heavily inspired by the relaxed, care-free energy affiliated with British summer time succeeding the cold winter months, the group blends grungy guitar tones with a lively psychedelic-pop bounce. They radiate the laid-back indie style associated with British indie bands like Swim Deep and fellow British seaside town boys The Magic Gang.

This balmy sound is the perfect pairing to the track's thematic ebb and flow. "Prom Dress" acts as an ode to living life in the present and enjoying your 20s, rather than letting the past cloud your perspective. The band explain, “We wanted to create a body of work that introduced listeners to our core sound. "Prom Dress" came together after a conversation we had about staying present and not getting too hung up on the past."

The track's visualiser further emulates its uplifting sentiment: shot in different areas of what looks like your classic British coastal town, the DIY/camcorder style video sees the three bandmates messing around, not taking life too seriously. All in all, it acts as the perfect addition to this cohesive project and perfectly captures the playful group dynamic that underscores the track with a grin.

As Fake A Smile enter an exciting new phase as a band, with the support and collaboration of Gianluca Buccellati, they urge you to look forward to brighter days ahead.