Some songs refuse to stay buried. They linger in the shadows of rehearsal rooms and old hard drives, waiting for the exact moment they can breathe again. On 8 May, The Fismits gave one of those ghosts new life with the release of ‘Independence’, a track that doesn’t just revisit the past but hijacks it, drags it into the present, and sends it pulsing forward with fresh urgency.
This is the second single from the upcoming EP Falling Joy (out 26 June), and it marks a bold evolution from the emotional weight of lead single ‘Scars’. Where ‘Scars’ dug deep into feeling, ‘Independence’ sets it all in motion.
From 90s Indie Sketch to Synth-Driven Revelation
Originally written in the early 1990s by Bruce Barrett during his time with The Mind Theatre, ‘Independence’ refused to settle. For decades it sat in the archive, a British indie-rooted idea that never quite found its final shape.
Mark Biagio, the singular creative force behind The Fismits, has now reimagined it completely. The result? A living, breathing track that swaps straight-ahead rock for something far more adventurous: layered electronic textures, hypnotic looping rhythms, and a cool new-wave pulse that keeps you leaning in. It’s alternative rock that’s been infused with atmosphere and surprise, restrained verses that suddenly release into expansive, confident choruses. There’s a looseness and freedom to the arrangement that perfectly mirrors the song’s title and spirit.
Recorded between 2024 and 2025 at Dirty Badger Music, and produced, mixed, and mastered entirely by Biagio, ‘Independence’ feels like a deliberate artistic statement: the past is not preserved in amber, it is reborn through instinct, experimentation, and hard-won perspective.
The Story Behind The Fismits
For those new to the project, The Fismits is the ongoing musical vehicle of South African songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Mark Biagio. Born in 2016 as a three-piece with longtime friends Nielle and Arthur, the name itself is a playful twist on “misfits”, a DIY declaration from musicians who had already cut their teeth in bands like The Embers Band, 10 Drops of Valium, and others.
After the 2017 EP Anywhere and the deeply personal 2020 album Before the Hindsight (which featured backing vocals from Biagio’s own sons), the project has evolved into Biagio’s most focused and fearless outlet. The 2024 single ‘Halen’, completed as a tribute after the passing of Live Jimi Presley frontman Marc ‘Presley’ Feltham, proved Biagio’s gift for bridging musical generations and honouring history without being trapped by it.
Fallling Joy continues that tradition. The EP reinterprets mid-1990s Barrett compositions through the lens of time, maturity, and creative independence. ‘Independence’ expands the sonic universe opened by ‘Scars’, adding colour, movement, and electronic edge. Upcoming singles ‘When’, plus the title track and ‘Too Small A Word’, promise to complete an arc that feels both reflective and resolved.
Why ‘Independence’ Hits Different
There’s something profoundly moving about hearing a song that waited thirty years finally step into the light, especially one that celebrates breaking free. In Biagio’s hands, it doesn’t sound nostalgic. It sounds alive, unpredictable, and quietly triumphant. The electronic textures don’t overshadow the heart; they illuminate it.
This is music for anyone who has ever carried an old dream across decades, waiting for the right moment, or the right version of themselves, to set it free.
The Fismits Photo by Ethan Biagio
Stream ‘Independence’ now:
https://hypeddit.com/fismits/single-independence
Watch the Music Video:
Watch the Lyric Video:
Pre-save the Falling Joy EP (26 June):
https://hypeddit.com/fismits/ep-fallingjoy
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In a musical landscape obsessed with the immediate, The Fismits remind us that the best work often simmers. ‘Independence’ isn’t just a comeback single, it’s proof that some songs, like some artists, only get better when given the freedom to evolve on their own terms.
Welcome to a new chapter of The Fismits. It already feels essential.
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