I’ve said it before: there’s something in the water in Chicago. Whatever the reason, to the list that includes Horsegirl, Lifeguard, Ganser, and Sharp Pins we must now add Friko. Previously a trio that also included bassist Luke Stamos, the band is now based around the guitars and vocals of Niko Kapetan (who co-produced a terrific Horsegirl single a few years ago) and the drums of Bailey Minzenberger. The band’s debut album, Where We’ve Been, Where We Go From Here, recorded with Stamos and co-produced by Scott Tallarida and Jack Henry, came out today. Featuring an extraordinary range of sounds from gnashing, gnarly guitars and pounding pianos to delicate, string-laden chamber folk, it’s a fully rounded album made by and for musical omnivores.
I could literally pick any song from the album to convince you of its greatness, so check out Statues, a midtempo track from the back half of the album. Beginning with almost ghostly acoustic strumming that makes the central riff hit that much harder, the build from verse to verse is a perfect example of the finely calibrated sonic architecture they employ throughout. Two-thirds of the way in, the guitars threaten to bury the vocals entirely in a hypnotic haze of sound, until a nasty fuzz-bass cuts through and then it all drops out for the vocal coda.
In notes about the album, Kapetan identifies the overall theme as “wanting better for yourself and the people around you, but wondering how you can possibly do that with the world we live in.” One super-easy way to start down that road is to play Where We’ve Been, Where We Go From Here for everyone you know at maximum volume. And get out to see Friko in concert when they come to your town!
Is this your first opportunity to freak out to Friko? Tell me about it!
Note: The graphic above is based on a photograph by Pooneh Ghana.