Fortune Teller: Endurance within Irresolution and Chaos
- Sammie Starr
- 2 minutes ago
- 5 min read
In a world that often offers few opportunities for success, bands like Fortune Teller are quickly proving that with determination, all things are possible with their new single, How To Cope."
Fortune Teller’s sound is part grit and part anthemic, something that speaks to the South Wales music scene. One that bleeds with the constant grind of trying to move forward and the uncertainty of where that leads. Since forming in 2022, Fortune Teller has never been a stranger to wearing their emotions on their sleeves. Their debut EP, Premonitions, offered listeners a snapshot of chasing dreams in the unpredictable climate of South Wales, balancing mental health, setbacks, limited opportunities, finding themselves, and the financial pressures that come with trying to find success in a world that offers little. Coming into their new single, “How To Cope,” Fortune Teller digs deeper into that mental and emotional universe, sitting in a moment of wistful dreams, raw honesty, and the urgency to make those dreams a reality.
What inspired the lyrical theme of “How to Cope”, and how does it reflect the band’s own experiences since forming in 2022?
Fortune Teller: “How to Cope” came from a really honest place. Since forming in 2022, we’ve all experienced the reality of chasing something you love while juggling mental health, setbacks, financial pressure, and the frustration of slow progress. The song is about searching for ways to numb or manage those feelings in hard times, whether that’s healthy or not, and realizing how easy it is to fall into self-destructive habits.
The track feels dreamy but has this sense of rawness and urgency to it—did you deliberately aim for a heavier emotional punch compared to earlier singles like "Jump Ship"?
Fortune Teller: Absolutely. We wanted this one to hit deeper emotionally. “How to Cope” sits in the moment where you’re still struggling to figure everything out. It was a conscious move to show more depth and vulnerability while still keeping that punch our music is known for.
How did the production process for “How to Cope” differ from your debut EP, Premonitions?
Fortune Teller: With Premonitions, we were finding our footing; everything was fast-paced and driven by raw energy. For “How to Cope,” we were far more intentional. We spent more time refining our songwriting and letting personal feelings play a bigger role in the track. Instead of purely chasing impact, we focused on mood and emotional flow. It was more about crafting a journey within the song.
What do you feel you took from that in terms of growth as an artist? What lessons have you taken from your debut EP? What did you consciously apply—or avoid—when creating this single?
Fortune Teller: The biggest lesson was restraint. With the EP, we tried to throw everything into every song: hooks, energy, and big choruses, whereas with “How to Cope,” we learned to trust subtlety and add dynamics. We avoided overcomplicating the arrangement and instead focused on what best served the track's emotion. We also gained a lot more confidence in experimenting and letting ourselves explore darker tones without worrying about fitting into a specific pop-punk template.
Your debut EP leaned into high-energy, anthem-driven pop-punk. How does “How to Cope” expand or shift that sound?
Fortune Teller: “How to Cope” still carries the DNA of that anthem-driven sound, but it stretches into something more cinematic and emotionally layered. It introduces more vulnerability. It opens the door to blending introspection with punch, showing that our sound can be just as powerful when it’s moody and reflective.
Jump Ship had a rebellious, defiant tone, while Nothing Left to Say was more reflective. Where does “How to Cope” sit on that spectrum?
Fortune Teller: It lands right between the two. It has the emotional honesty of “Nothing Left to Say” but carries an undercurrent of tension and urgency similar to “Jump Ship.” It’s not about running away or finding peace; it’s about being stuck in the process and wrestling with how to get through it. That emotional push-and-pull is what defines the track.
Do you see this single as a bridge between your debut EP and a future album or EP release, or more of a standalone experiment?
Fortune Teller: We see it as a bridge. “How to Cope” represents where we’re heading emotionally—heavier, more textured, a little darker, but still rooted in catchy, relatable songwriting. It sets the tone for what’s coming next rather than being a one-off.
Your band formed within the South Wales scene in 2022. How did that or how has that shaped your songwriting? How do you feel that's captured still in “How to Cope”?
Fortune Teller: Growing up and writing music in South Wales shapes you in a pretty real way. For a lot of people here, life can feel like a constant grind, with limited opportunities, mental health struggles, and that feeling of not always knowing how to move forward or where you fit. That atmosphere has pushed us to write from a more honest place. “How to Cope” reflects that directly; it captures that sense of being stuck in your head, trying to navigate difficult emotions while just getting through day-to-day life. We think coming from this environment keeps our songwriting grounded and relatable because it’s rooted in experiences we’ve all lived.
Were there new influences—musical or personal—that shaped this track but weren’t present in Premonitions?
Fortune Teller: Definitely. We’ve always loved classic pop-punk that fast, hooky, anthem feel is still a huge part of who we are, and “How to Cope” definitely nods to that foundation. But this track leans more into the modern side of pop-punk, where emotion, atmosphere, and lyrical honesty drive the energy just as much as big riffs and choruses. We’ve been really inspired by bands who balance catchy songwriting with heavier emotional weight, and that pushed us to write more openly and vulnerably. The result is a song that still feels true to our roots but also reflects where modern pop-punk is heading.
Pop-punk often thrives on themes of angst and resilience. How does “How to Cope” contribute to that tradition while still feeling uniquely yours?
Fortune Teller: The song taps into classic pop-punk angst but approaches resilience in a more honest, modern way. Instead of shouting about overcoming everything, we admit that sometimes you don’t have the answers; you’re just trying to get through the day. That vulnerability is what makes it uniquely ours. It’s about persistence rather than triumph.
Do you see “How to Cope” as a message to your fans about navigating struggles or more as a personal catharsis?
Fortune Teller: It’s both. It started as something deeply personal. Writing it was a way for us to make sense of our own experiences, but we’ve always written with the hope that listeners see themselves in our songs. “How to Cope” is a reminder that it’s okay not to have everything figured out and that you’re not alone in feeling lost sometimes.