If you’re on the lookout for an electrifying auditory adventure, look no further than Chicago’s latest indie rock sensation—FRIKO! Hailing from the heart of the Windy City, this dynamic band brings a fresh and invigorating sound to the indie rock scene.
From the very first notes, you can feel the pulsating energy that defines this group’s unique musical identity. Their sound is a thrilling blend of raw, unapologetic rock and sophisticated indie sensibilities. The band effortlessly weaves together infectious melodies, gritty guitar riffs, and anthemic choruses, creating a sonic landscape that’s impossible to ignore.
FEELS: like a gritty, sandy walkway
SOUNDS: like Yo La Tengo on speed
An essential new addition to Chicago’s long lineage of forward-thinking indie rock, Friko transform every song into a moment of collective catharsis. On their full-length debut and first release for ATO Records, vocalist/guitarist Niko Kapetan and drummer Bailey Minzenberger merge elements of post-punk and chamber-pop and experimental rock, magnifying their music’s exhilarating power with a steady barrage of spirited gang vocals. Poetic, explosive, and sublimely raw in feeling, Where we’ve been, Where we go from here brings an equally visceral intensity to brutally heavy anthems and heart-on-sleeve ballads alike, creating an immediate outlet for the most unwieldy emotions.
Produced by Scott Tallarida and Friko with additional production from Jack Henry, 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. As Kapetan reveals, the frenzied and majestic opening track “Where We’ve Been” set the tone for the pure abandon embraced by Friko throughout the album’s creation (a process that also included former bassist and founding member Luke Stamos). “We’d tried recording a different version of that song and it didn’t feel right,” Kapetan recalls. “We went back in and reworked it and came up with something that was very much a group effort and doesn’t follow a pop structure at all, and it felt incredible—we were all sobbing afterward. It was something I’d never really felt before in music.”