by: Andrew Waner
The Perimeter Road Singles Series is moving forward this month with a new song from a new artist. Last month Parkland’s record label, Perimeter Road, released its first song of the year with Anika Emily’s “Finish Line.” The next artist releasing music with the student run label is William Frillman.
Frillman wrote the song to be released, which is titled “Overcoat,” when he was around 16 years old; at the time he was in a band with three friends. It was a sort of half–baked idea when Frillman brought it to his band during a jam session and he never quite finished writing the song. Several years later he is finally recording it. He said that the rewriting process took him a great deal of time, but he is very excited to release this song. As he called it, the song “combines sentiment with a new feeling of acceptance and maturity.” The song will be released April 3.
“The song was written about a relationship I was in, one in which I spent a lot of time sneaking out from home to be with this person. A lot of walking around during winter, those days, which is where I got a lot of the lyrics from,” Frillman told the Prospectus.
Frillman hails from Antioch, Ill., a northern suburb that’s on the border of Illinois and Wisconsin. He was very involved in band and orchestra at an early age, which allowed him to be comfortable playing music in front of people.
By the time he became a teenager, Frillman spent a lot of time teaching himself different instruments like guitar, bass, and the keys. He also played with friends often in their basements and garages. His family has always been a large musical influence. His grandmother sings, his father is a saxophone player, and his mother always showed him her favorite music while he was growing up. His two older brothers also had an influence on him.
“My goal in creating this song was more of a challenge to benefit myself honestly. I wanted to hold myself to a deadline of sorts. To work with some of the great people involved at Perimeter Road, and have some original stuff written, recorded, and released,” he said.
“My experience at Perimeter Road has been stellar. Everyone involved is very welcoming, insightful, and excited about the record label”
Frillman enjoy many types of music. Some early influences include The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, and Ray Charles. His favorite artists also include Vulfpeck, Tom Misch, Gorillaz, The Dip, and many others. Some of his other hobbies include making coffee, cooking, hiking, and hanging out with his roommates.
“My experience at Perimeter Road has been stellar. Everyone involved is very welcoming, insightful, and excited about the record label,” he said. “I’ve been taking the music recording classes at Parkland, with a mind set on going into the business of recording, audio engineering, and in general helping people make their music. It’s amazing that I can take these classes and learn the ropes of studio work. I feel very lucky.”
“Overcoat” will be available on April 3 on all major streaming services and on all Perimeter Road websites. To listen to the single, or to listen to other music released by Perimeter Road, please visit their Bandcamp here.