Returning with yet another polished pop release for 2021, comes Sydney’s Florian. Having made an impact this year already with the likes of ‘Patrick Swayze’ and ‘Yours & Mine’, the songwriter and performer steps it up another notch with the vibrant and swirling new track, ‘Seventeen’.
An ode to her younger self and for the rest of us, a moment to look back on our own youth with equal parts nostalgia and self-awareness, ‘Seventeen’ is emotional and uplifting. The single is also another prime example of Florian’s clear-cut skills as a pop songwriter and arranger: ‘Seventeen’ is crisp, refreshing and instantly catchy.
The music is earnest without being twee; honest without being saccharine. The place Florian has written a song like ‘Seventeen’ is one of maturity, realising how much power there can be in allowing yourself to just let go.
“The song speaks from two versions of me, one that’s the regular me, doing regular life things, having low days etc. and that’s kind of the verse lyrics, and then the wiser, happier, encouraging, love-yourself-version of me in the chorus who’s just like, “Go have a good time, you idiot!””
Florian
Recording ‘Seventeen’ at Campderdown’s FED Studios during 2020’s first lockdown, Florian worked with her band (Ollie Thorpe, Elliott Hitchcock, Harry Sutherland, Miles Thomas) in getting the song’s feel and energy just right.
‘Seventeen’, with its ‘80s aesthetics, Stevie Nicks-esque dreamy quality and Prince-inspired guitar, adds to the overall emotion of the song. Previous Florian material has dabbled in this pastel-hued sonic territory, but there’s nothing schtick-y about how she navigates her own sound throughout. There is a genuine love for these sounds and the way her individual voice shines through.
Taking things into her own hands for the ‘Seventeen’ music video, Florian used being in lockdown to her advantage, focusing the video’s narrative of celebrating your birthday well…locked down. Again, like the song itself, the video is all about having fun and making the most of what you’ve got.