Band Of The Week #260 - Friko
This week’s Band of the Week is Chicago based Friko - who have just released their debut album ‘Where we’ve been, Where we go from here’ via ATO Records.
Friko transform every song into a moment of collective catharsis. Formed in 2019, Friko soon began taking the stage at legendary Chicago venues like the Metro, Empty Bottle and Schubas Tavern, self-releasing their acclaimed debut EP Whenever Forever in 2022 and making their festival debut at Bonnaroo the following spring. Known for their high-energy live show, Friko aim to deliver a live experience that’s fantastically disorienting in its emotional arc. Mastered by Heba Kadry (Björk, Big Thief) and engineered by Jack Henry and Scott Tallarida, Where we’ve been, Where we go from here embodies a sonic complexity befitting of a band that names Romantic-era classical music and the more primal edges of art-rock among their inspirations. Friko hope that their music’s emotional potency might have a galvanising impact on audiences.
They took a moment to talk to us about how the album came together.
Hey there Friko - how are you? So your album is out now - how does it feel to have it out there in the world?
For the most part we’re just excited for people to be able to listen to the record as a whole. So much time was put into this record feeling like a complete story so what’s gonna matter most to us is what people think of the album as a whole. We’re of course very nervous because of how much time and love we put into this first record. For us, this is our debut of course, but we’ve been working on music and releasing songs for so long that it feels like the first project that stands as a whole rather than our first project in general.
It is called ‘Where we’ve been, Where we go from here' - what is the meaning behind that?
The name came from the song “Where We’ve Been”, and for us that phrase just represents what this album means to us. It’s a culmination of all the hours of practice with no shows planned, living together, and just growing together in general. It’s kind of saying, here’s everything that we’ve been through so far, now what’s next?
Where was it recorded? Are there any behind-the-scenes stories from the creative process you are happy to share with us?
We recorded the bulk of the record at Trigger Studios and Palisade Studios in Chicago. Our favorite recording story is when we recorded “ Where We’ve Been” in the studio. It was one rotation shorter and didn’t have the ending group vocal refrain, “where we’ve been where we go from here, take your weight and throw your arms around me”. It kind of just fizzled out. But when we had finished a few takes of it, Scott Tallarida, the producer of the record and our friend, took us aside and basically told us the song isn’t finished. We were already in an emotional state from not getting the take and hearing that the song IS NOT FINISHED while recording it is kind of crazy. So then Bailey just had the idea to go to a straight ahead beat and Niko said he would just start screaming whatever. We recorded it fully though and once we were done we were all sobbing. And that’s the take on the record. With various overdubs of course, but a live drum, bass, guitar, and vocal take.
What are the key themes and influences on the album?
The main theme is definitely dealing with hopelessness and apathy, and in the face of those feelings, doing everything you can to fight against them and not let them take you over. Musical influences are very wide ranging, from Brian Eno to The Microphones to local Chicago artists. More general influences we’re the community of Chicago creatives around us and all the energy behind that.
If the album could be the soundtrack to any film - which one would it be and why?
Maybe James And The Giant Peach or The Neverending Story. Any of those movies that were made for kids but have so much artistic and thoughtful depth behind them.
Do you have a favourite lyric on the album - if so, which one and why?
The one that gives me the most vivid image in my mind because it was about such a specific point in time is…
“Dirty drawers and an awful stench
A stomach made of stick and glue
A fortress built between the four rooms
Huddled in a dorm room, you took it out of me”
Now the album is out there - what next?
We’re already starting to work on the next batch of songs, for us it’s all about the next album outdoing the prior. But more urgently, we’re hoping to play as many shows in as many different places around the US and world!
