WATCH: Felicity Covers “Watermelon Sugar”
WATCH: Felicity Covers “Watermelon Sugar”
The alt rock band explores their creative limits with this Harry Styles cover.
Words by: Ysabela De Ocampo
Alternative rock band Felicity shakes up Harry Styles’ hit song “Watermelon Sugar.” In this completely re-energized summertime pop hit, Felicity holds nothing back as this track marks not only their return to pushing out hits after nearly 2 years of silence, but also their first ever cover song! To add to this killer release, the band shares a fun watermelon themed music video — making for a great track to jam to at full volume across multiple screens.
In proper cover fashion, Felicity changed up a handful of elements in Style’s “Watermelon Sugar” to craft their own sound. They trade the light shuffling beats for more powerful and splashing drums, picking up the pace of the track’s energy. Of course, it wouldn’t be an alternative rock cover without switching up the guitars. Felicity trades the original tweedy and fuzzy guitar and bass groove, for a grittier tone. Occasional screams and harmonies from front man Davien Fagiolino add depth and give that aggression and drive alternative rock has.
For the video, the band hangs out in a backyard. Running around in the sun with their dog, playing in an inflatable watermelon kiddie pool, which they fill with White Claw spiked seltzer. And they close out the video by making a watermelon explode using rubber bands. It’s a light and playful video that showcases Felicity being authentically themselves.
The band saw potential in covering the track early on when Styles first put it out. But only recently did Felicity get time to put it all together. The band shares, “we really do love our interpretation of the song, and had an absolute blast recording the final version with Andrew Wade (The Audio Compound). We feel like our cover does the original song justice while keeping ours unique in its own way.” For those who remember Fearless Records’ collections of Punk Goes Pop albums, this track is reminiscent of covers heard in those compilations.
Felicity is a Craigslist success story. Fagiolino met guitarist Andrew Rapier, and the two bonded over their love for music and wanted to do something beyond playing in cover bands. “I felt like I was always singing someone else’s song. I needed to find my own voice,” says Fagiolino. Together with his bandmates Rapier, Cory Nicholas [guitar], Michael Alosa [bass] and Tyler Dennett [drums], Felicity are well on their way to carving out their own world. The band’s fourth ever show at their hometown’s Warped Tour in 2013 opened the floodgates for opportunities to perform. Felicity performed at The Big Orlando Festival alongside Fall Out Boy and Weezer. And quickly had songs placed everywhere from Fox Sports to MTV’s The Challenge.
In their idle time, Felicity makes the effort to reach out and connect with their supporters. “We’re trying to learn to be more than just a band… so we’re learning how to capitalize on other avenues by becoming entertainers and content creators next to being musicians,” says Nicholas. The band now explores making TikToks and streaming on Twitch to stay in touch while they wait to hit the road again.
