James Sunderland and Brett Hite who record and perform as FRENSHIP are excited to announce the October 13 release of their new EP Base Camp. Having already shared the single “Copenhagen,” today they reveal another taste of the with the release of the lush and dreamy “Lover or an Enemy.” Lyrically the band revel in a certain newfound vulnerability; “This song actually started as a pandemic song, but we realized very quickly that general loneliness has become its own epidemic, so we didn’t have to change the lyrics from their original subject matter,” says Hite. “​​We have more access to everyone than we’ve ever had before, and yet we’re as lonely as we’ve ever been,” he adds. “I’ll take a lover or an enemy, just give me somebody.” The song is an aching ode to real, human connection, which the duo is hoping to capture on Base Camp.

On Base Camp, the duo dig into vulnerabilities they were previously hesitant to express, from their different lives (Sunderland remains in LA but Hite now lives in Washington State) to the fractured state of our nation. “Copenhagen” touches on the latter, using smooth R&B melodies and sleek, lounge-ready synths to offer clever resistance to the song’s urging thematic content. They sing, “Too proud the American pride is getting dangerous/ Pack heat to protect a dream ’cuz words don’t do enough.” The chorus is massive but packs a punch, catchy but never veering towards saccharine. “We did a songwriting trip to Copenhagen in Denmark, and we left when there were a lot of shootings happening in the US and,” Sunderland explains, before Hite adds, “…and just as many when we returned.”

Frenship will head out on the road in support of Base Camp with dates kicking off October 5 at the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, NC and concluding in Denver, CO at the Marquee Theatre on November 18. Along the way they play at New York City’s Le Poisson Rouge on October 21 and at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, CA on November 10. All shows are listed below and tickets are available here:

10/5 – Cat’s Cradle – Carrboro, NC

10/6 – Center Stage – Atlanta, GA 

10/7 – Exit/In – Nashville, TN

10/10 – Dada Dallas – Dallas, TX

10/11 – Empire Control Room & Garage – Austin, TX

10/12 – The Secret Group – Houston, TX

10/19 – The Fillmore Philadelphia – Philadelphia, PA

10/20 – Black Cat – Washington, DC  

10/21 – Le Poisson Rouge – New York, NY

10/22 – Brighton Music Hall – Allston, MA 

10/25 – House of Blues Cleveland – Cleveland, OH

10/26 – Subterranean – Chicago, IL

10/27 – Shank Hall – Milwaukee, WI

10/28 – Appleton Beer Factory – Appleton, WI

10/29 – Fine Line – Minneapolis, MN

11/1 – The District Bar – Spokane, WA

11/2 – Nectar Lounge – Seattle, WA  

11/3 – Dante’s – Portland, OR

11/4 – Wow Hall – Eugene, OR

11/8 – The Chapel – San Francisco, CA  

11/10 – Troubadour – West Hollywood, CA

11/11 – Quartyard – San Diego, CA

11/12 – Last Exit Live – Phoenix, AZ

11/14 – Soundwell – Salt Lake City, UT

11/16 – Black Sheep – Colorado Springs, CO

11/17 – Washington’s FoCo – Fort Collins, CO

11/18 – Marquis Theater – Denver, CO 

Photo Courtesy: Alex Powell