Friko are learning how to bring people together: “The songs live night by night”

Since its release last year, the indie-rock duo’s debut album has become a sleeper hit that’s taken them around the world and built community from Chicago to China.

It’s one thing to want people to sing along, but Friko will tell you that it’s another thing entirely when they actually do. Over the past 12 months, the Chicago duo have watched from stages big and small as their songs have taken hold in thousands of throats, reflecting back an earnest desire for each explosive gang vocal or aching melody to spark a sense of togetherness. It gets them every time. “Playing in this band, sharing this music, and engaging in community is healing for us,” drummer Bailey Minzenberger says. “The goal is to have people feel better walking out than they did walking in.”

Upon its arrival in February last year, Friko’s debut album ‘Where We’ve Been, Where We Go From Here’ became an indie-rock lightning rod for anyone searching for something authentic and honest in a society more closely attuned to snark and apathy. Splitting the difference between the scuzzy noise of Yo La Tengo, the triumphant melancholy of the Replacements, and the gut-punch anthemics of the Hotelier, it came to resemble an old-fashioned sleeper hit after catching light in their hometown’s vibrant DIY scene. Since its release, its ability to inspire emotional somersaults has only gained momentum, translating into euphoric shows thousands of miles away.

Source: NME