Frightened Rabbit Release a Tenth Anniversary Reissue of ‘Pedestrian Verse’
7 Feb | Written By Kirsten Moreton
Frightened Rabbit were one of Scotland’s greatest up and coming indie rock groups of the 2000’s, forming in Selkirk in 2003. The group were active from 2003–2018 releasing several albums and tracks whilst touring in between. The four piece band released their fourth album Pedestrian Verse in 2013 which was a major success and life changing moment for the Scot’s, charting in the UK top ten. In turn this took the group to a new level of success. Following this, they released their fifth and final album Painting of a Panic Attack in 2016. As the title suggests, the albums themes express feelings of anxiety and burn-out from touring. The album also discusses the strain on lead singer Scott Hutchison’s life and relationships upon moving to LA.
In hindsight, the album can be seen as a desperate cry for help as the lyrics discuss these heavy themes. Scott Hutchison sadly went missing and took his own life in 2018, two years after the albums release and marking the end of Frightened Rabbit. The signers death and final message was devastating to fans as he said in the final tweets he posted before his disappearance, ‘Be so good to everyone you love. It’s not a given. I'm so annoyed that its not. I didn’t live by that standard, and it kills me. Please hug your loved ones.’ and following with, ‘I'm away now. Thanks.’. The beloved signers final words are heartbreaking to read, and the entire story is a true tragedy. Now, five years after Hutchison’s death and ten years after the release of Pedestrian Verse the group released a reissue of the iconic album to remember their lost friend. They have also released a reprint of Hutchison’s original lyric notebook, sharing his unseen art with the world.
The remaining members of Frightened Rabbit said in a group statement, ‘Pedestrian Verse has always been the album we were most proud of as a band. It was written collectively, and I think was the best and most mature example of Scotts writing. That’s why we wanted people to see his lyric notes here and get insight in to how he works on a song from start to finish We are immensely proud of this album and will be forever grateful for where it took us.’ The group finished by saying ‘Celebrate it’s ten year birthday with us and raise a dram.’ Urging fans to celebrate with the band and to forget the sadness they have become associated with, allowing a more positive light to be shone.
Since Hutchison’s passing the band have worked to create tributes to the singer and have promoted mental health, even creating a mental health charity, however, this is their first major update in five years. Fans and music lovers are of course excited to hear from the beloved band and to see a more positive outlook being created for the incredible musician's.
The Pedestrian Verse reissue and lyric book bundle will be available on the 17th of March and is available for pre-order here.
Donate to the bands charity made in honour of Scott Hutchison here.
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