ON THE RISE
The Reckless, made up of Fritz Fayman, Michael Kennedy, Riku Myllykoski, and John Kelly, amalgamate various rock genres, eras, styles, and talents to bring you mood-improving reckless music. But first, an origin story, with frontman Fritz Fayman.
Fritz shares that during the pandemic, like many battling with the uncertainty of life, he decided to start recording music to keep himself preoccupied. Fritz’s dad was a musician, so he grew up surrounded by music, learning guitar at 14 and developing a deep respect for its power. However, he didn’t consider himself a songwriter at the time. It wasn’t until 2019-2020, when facing one of the world’s biggest shutdowns, that he realized the true force behind music and that, maybe after all, he was meant to pursue it. He recalls that this adventure started out as a personal project, riff writing and lyricising, until the release of the self-titled album, “The Reckless.”
Jumping timelines, Fritz lands a job with the School of Rock, teaching music to youth of all ages, backgrounds, and interests. With continued exposure to various musical styles and the environment of collaboration, he was inspired to begin assembling his own band mates. Fritz admits it took a few trials to identify the right musicians who were in sync both musically and with the vision.
In order of alignment, Fritz first finds Michael Kennedy, who’s responsible for both the melodic and slap bass contributions you'll hear throughout the works. Next, they bring in Riku Myllykoski, a dynamic drummer who has an unexpected love for singing and a knack for helping with lyrical melodies. Finally, there's John Kelly, whose 'lightning-fast guitar licks' and 'shred-tastic' elements, as Fritz likes to say, brings powerful energy to complete the quartet. From different corners of San Diego, in an era of isolation, the band locked in their chemistry and off they went. Where? Down a creative, reckless rabbit hole. Fritz shares that his favorite thing about this band is the open-source nature of songwriting. Everyone has their own contributions, skills, and creative ideas that make the process truly collaborative, fun as shit, and crazy at times. Fritz loves that it not only helps them build and evolve their songs but also helps them grow as musicians.
Over the last few years, between releases like “Get Loud,” “Remember Me,” and a sick recreation of Justin Timberlake's "SexyBack," the band’s fan base grew rapidly. Naturally, with traction comes the stage of weeding out fans vs. non-fans. Fritz jokes in the interview that when you finally get haters, that's when you know you're making it. Ironically, after a negative interaction with some faceless internet troll, it inspired the song "Who Are You," the EP's title track. To make light of the situation, "Who Are You" channels a hype energy similar to an MLB walk-up song or the cinematic portrayal of a hero about to defy odds and face immense pressure. Experimenting with drop D tuning, heavy riffs, and driving rhythms, the track builds momentum and pushes you to face any challenge ahead. Through the resilient and confident energy of “Who Are You” it emerges as the centerpiece of the EP. Thematically each song is a mirror into our own decisions, actions, and mindsets that make up who we are.
Next on the EP is “Do It For Free,” a rock and roll anthem about passion and purpose. The song speaks to the idea that the reward lies in the output itself—the energy, the expression, and the impact—rather than material gain. If you genuinely love what you’re doing, you’d rather do it for free than not do it at all.
Then we get “Home,” an upbeat pop-punk banger that blends arena rock choruses, '80s new wave vibes, and themes of self-discovery. It’s an ode to the rich history of rock’s evolution and the players who continue to drive its power and legacy forward. Subjectively speaking, the guitar parts in this track are stellar.
“GO ON,” the 4th track on the EP, is a reimagining of a past alt-rock song Fritz wrote during a time of discouragement and frustration with the political climate during 2020. Timely once again, it resurfaces in the midst of a still polarized and disconnected society. Fritz appreciated how each bandmate brought their own interpretation, ideas, and energy to revamp it. The song reminds us to persevere and push onward.
Fritz notes that at this stage of the EP, the dynamics have shifted from the ascension in both message and instrumentation, to a sense of resolve.
The EP concludes with "Remember Me," a song that invites introspection. Fritz explains that it’s a reflection on the duality of our desire and struggle to leave our mark on the world, in order to not be forgotten. It’s part of the human experience to feel lost or aimless at times, but once you can “break through” that and chart your impact, you won’t fade away.
From building you up, helping you overcome adversity to pursuing your passion and leaving a legacy, The Reckless create music that helps fans feel better and come out stronger on the other side.
Fritz shares a parting sentiment with readers and fans: “[Starting your path, whether it's a band or a project, can be challenging, and you'll face moments of doubt and tough decisions. Recognize the importance of chemistry, humility, and talent, and it will lead to greater confidence and happiness for everyone involved. Stay respectful, understanding, and seize those moments of connection to build something meaningful.]”
Listen to EP “Who Are You” here
Stay tuned on social media for upcoming shows in the San Diego and Bay Area, and keep an eye out for more music coming soon!
ON THE RISE
As Belle & Sebastian share their buoyant 2026 Scotland World Cup anthem ‘It Only Takes One Lion’, frontman Stuart Murdoch has spoken to NME about capturing the feeling back home and his hopes for the team since childhood.
Released today (Tuesday June 2), the Scottish indie heroes’ bid for their nation’s tournament anthem was written after the team’s surprise 4-2 qualifying win against Denmark.
“I felt like we were watching history in the moment, like the hand of God from the old National Lottery adverts was pointing at us,” Murdoch told NME about that game-changing victory. “It was meant to be. Scotland aren’t a terrific team and Denmark are better, but it just felt that day that Scotland were destined to win. Three out of the four goals were things of beauty.”
Produced by and co-written with Pete Ferguson and premiered at the band’s recent London Royal Albert Hall show as part of the anniversary tour for their classic first two albums ‘Tigermilk’ and ‘If You’re Feeling Sinister’, the soaring song is intrinsically Belle & Sebastian as it morphs from a hymn to a an orchestral disco jam as Murdoch sings of a nation’s hopes and his own boyhood dreams.
NME spoke to Murdoch from the band’s North American tour, where we found him in a graveyard in Texas. “I was just looking for a park because Austin is a pretty scary place downtown now, so I’ve ended up in the Texas Cemetery,” he shared via Zoom.
Was there anyone famous buried there?
“I was looking around and I found the founder of Austin City Limits, which is pretty cool as that’s where we’re playing tonight. I’m looking at one now and it just says, ‘Martin: he loved the law’. Then underneath it says, ‘Billie Louise: she loved the lawyer’.”
We joke that there’s the opening to a Belle & Sebastian song if there ever there was one. “It’s great! It’s given me inspiration.”
For now, read the rest of interview with Murdoch below as he tells us about Scotland’s chances, 30 years of hurt, if fans will be singing it at the top of their lungs in Canada, the US and Mexico this summer, and what’s next for the band.
NME: Hello Stuart. Here we are with ‘It Only Takes One Lion’ Who needs three?
Stuart Murdoch: “Who needs three? Good question. I wouldn’t know!”
What’s the mood been like in Scotland since you qualified?
“It’s funny. I’ve noticed this everywhere: with the World Cup there’s a mixture of cynicism and anticipation. When the actual tournament starts, everyone will get excited about it. Because of FIFA, the peace prize, the ticket prices, people seem quite down about it. I found that in Mexico. They were quite fed up with the general hype about it. I’m in the States just now and you shouldn’t believe all the hype: people are people. The States are just as ‘great’ as ever. We love coming here, we love the cities. The general sense of North American optimism will make for a good tournament.”
“With Scotland though, people will definitely be excited about it. You have to understand, it’s been 30 years since Scotland qualified so I think everybody and their dog has written a song for the team.”
How do you meet the challenge of penning a World Cup anthem, when there have been so many legendary bangers and absolutely shite duds?
“I never planned it. I woke up with a tune in my head and a feeling. That’s the way it should always be for songs. I couldn’t control myself and it was quite straight-forward. I wrote this initial bit about how I felt about the current World Cup team and the qualifying game. It was more introspective.
“When it starts off with, ‘The days are dark and long…’, it’s just my general feeling about football. I’ve been going to see my own team quite a lot recently. It’s my little anthem for how I feel about football and following Scotland for the last 50 years, just the ups and downs. It’s quite a heartfelt thing. When I was eight or nine, the Scottish team meant so much to me, it the thing I was most invested in. There’s a line in there about how I used to memorise the whole squad before ‘78 and 82.”
Tell us about lyric: “This is Scotland, where everyone knows you start with nothing… where you can join an army for peace”…
“My wife made the video for it and she said, ‘I’m not sure I like that line about everyone starting with nothing’. Our first game is against Haiti and they really have nothing. Their country is pretty poor and they’re going through hard times. It was almost a throwaway line and I’m not sure what I meant by it, but in a footballing sense every game starts with nothing. Even if it’s against Brazil, you’ve always got a chance!
“The army refers to The Tartan Army, which has really been quite a remarkable institution for the past 30 years. We changed from drunken buffoons that used to wreck things to this excellent supporting brigade.”
It’s not your standard football sing-along. Can you see it being sung in the terraces?
“I’m not sure, I didn’t cynically design it for that. Many people have said to me in the past, ‘None of your songs have a chorus, you need to write one’. ‘This is Scotland’ is a chorus! They things need to happen organically. I’m sure the fans will still be singing ‘Yes sir, I can boogie’ for years to come.”
What do you actually think of Scotland’s chances right now?
“With the last Euros, they maybe got stage fright or didn’t have that tournament experience. I think Andy Robertson [captain] will be telling them, ‘We really need to produce our best stuff’. If they do and we see them actually playing football, then I don’t really care about the results that much. I just want to see Scotland exceeding our expectations of them. That Denmark game was so crazy that everything after just feels like a bonus.”
If miracles do happen and Scotland make it to the final, how will you celebrate? A free gig in Glasgow?
“Of course, yes! Free everything. If we even got close, I think the whole country would shut down for a year and the GDP would drop. We’d go into a massive recession but no one would care.
“We were playing a gig in Mexico City and I told the crowd, ‘It’s you and us, Mexico and Scotland in the final’. Mexico have never really got close either. I told them it would be five goals a piece, even after everyone takes a penalty and we have to share the trophy. I would settle for that.”
You released two albums in quick succession with 2022’s ‘A Bit of Previous’, 2023’s ‘Late Developers’ and then your debut novel Nobody’s Empire in 2024. You’ve been busy! Is there any progress on new material?
“We went through a period where we recorded a lot and we said, ‘Let’s not record for a while and give ourselves a couple of cycles off’. We’re doing these 30th anniversary shows so we’re just going to lean on the back catalogue and cruise for a while. We’re doing a year on and a year off so everyone can focus on different things.
We’re not looking at new Belles stuff for a while. I’m meant to be developing Nobody’s Empire into a film, so that’s my next task. It’s a long way off from being made but I’m going to write the script for that.”
Scotland’s first World Cup tournament match is against Haiti on Sunday June 14, before they go on to play Morocco on Friday June 19 and Brazil on Wednesday June 24.
The band’s ‘Tigermilk’ and ‘If You’re Feeling Sinister’ anniversary tour continues throughout the summer, performing the iconic albums in full during across the UK, Europe, North America, Mexico, Australia, Singapore and Japan. Visit here for tickets and more information.
