Hailing from Glasgow, the Fratellis came across as a boldly tuneful indie rock group that seemed to materialize fully formed within the Babyshambles-driven bohemian-chic milieu, the same environment that produced the Rakes and the Paddingtons. Their first long-player, Costello Music, surfaced in 2006 and blended classic glam-rock textures with lean acoustic passages and 1977-style punk energy, delivering two British Top Ten singles, “Chelsea Dagger” and “Whistle for the Choir.” (Following long-standing punk custom, the three members each adopted the surname Fratelli.) Later releases reached the upper reaches of the Scottish charts, among them Here We Stand in 2008, Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied in 2015, and In Your Own Sweet Time in 2018.
Vocalist and guitarist Jon Fratelli joined forces with drummer Mince Fratelli and bassist Barry Fratelli to launch the band. The quick-witted trio played its inaugural concert in early 2005 and insisted that the group’s name simply honored Barry’s birth surname, though alternative accounts claim the title was taken from the antagonistic family in Steven Spielberg’s film The Goonies. That sort of trivia only heightened interest in the Fratellis as they prepared for their debut, a limited-edition self-titled EP that appeared in April 2006. Despite the small pressing, the record gained traction after Zane Lowe’s Radio One program placed the acoustic-leaning cut “Creepin Up the Backstairs” into steady rotation. Television slots on Later with Jools Holland and Top of the Pops arrived in the early summer, while the follow-up single “Henrietta” secured the band’s first U.K. Top 20 entry. “Chelsea Dagger” began its ascent of the British Top 40 that August, and Costello Music itself reached stores in September. Although the album made little impact abroad—even an American iPod advertisement built around “Flathead” failed to generate significant Stateside interest—it enjoyed substantial domestic success, earning the musicians a BRIT Award and climbing to number two on the U.K. charts.
The Fratellis reappeared on British charts in 2008 with “Mistress Mabel,” drawn from their more refined second album, Here We Stand. The group then entered a period of inactivity lasting several years; during the break Jon launched the atmospheric duo Codeine Velvet Club with Lou Hickey in 2008 and issued the solo album Psycho Jukebox in 2011. Barry served as a touring member of the Twang, while Mince performed with Jon’s backing band and with Throne o’ Diablo. In the same stretch “Chelsea Dagger” emerged as the unofficial anthem for the National Hockey League’s Chicago Blackhawks. The Fratellis reconvened for a U.K. tour in 2012 and revealed in 2013 that they had tracked their third studio album in Glasgow. We Need Medicine reached stores in October 2013. By year’s end they were already composing new material, some of which surfaced on the Soul Crush EP, offered as a free download via the band’s website. The Fratellis cut their fourth album in Los Angeles under producer Tony Hoffer, who had also helmed their debut; after the advance singles “Me and the Devil” and “Baby Don’t You Lie,” Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied arrived in August 2015. The following year the band marked the tenth anniversary of Costello Music with a U.K. tour. In 2017 they resumed work with Hoffer on their fifth album. Fronted by the disco-inflected “The Next Time We Wed,” In Your Own Sweet Time appeared in March 2018. The Fratellis returned to the studio in Los Angeles with Hoffer to track their subsequent release, Half Drunk Under a Full Moon, which surfaced in 2021.
