Friko
Something Worth Waiting For
ATO
There was never a more apt location for a moment of transcendence than a Cracker Barrel parking lot—that is, at least according to Friko. Charmed by the quiet mornings of an overnight stay in their van, the Chicago outfit began to revel in the glinting possibility of musical revolution after a year of landmark tours across North America, England, and Europe, capped off by an astonishing sold-out circuit in Japan. Friko returned to the studio inspired to metamorphose their earlier, less concretely defined sound heard on 2024’s debut Where we’ve been, where we go from here into symphonic ’70s art-pop with the aid of in-demand indie-rock producer John Congleton at his studio in LA.
With their resulting second album Something Worth Waiting For, Friko have shed their tough noise-pop exterior to reveal a bolder sound along with the more delicate emotional truisms that come with youthful idealism’s exposure to a more kaleidoscopic world view. Hunkering down into the sweet reminiscences of transitory experiences, the record grapples to paint a living sonic portrait of the band, with jittery rhythms meeting cathartic lyrical passages that deepen their songs’ colorful themes of solace and release. Early single “Choo Choo” explodes with frenetic energy as Niko Kapetan’s anxieties pull at the edges of his vocal range like a canvas fitted to the perfect frame. The title track sits close to the angsty millennial indie-folk moment defined by Neutral Milk Hotel and The Shins, only it feels distinctly modern—sharp, swift, and emblematic of the extravagant atmospherics that suddenly become within reach once a band has erupted into a swarming global presence. “Seven Degrees” even echoes The Beatles’ late-career stardom, bolstering a lush premonition for the path which lays ahead.
With Something Worth Waiting For, Friko appear confident, self-assured, and still growing. Throwing gusts of guitar and splashing waves of meditative rhythms, their controlled precision invigorates the senses as we’re left feeling like we’re floating in the deep sea, where the darkness somehow becomes a comfort and the horizon an ever-expanding target. Supporting the frenzied idea that a life lived in the present must contain multitudes that can and will hurt, either from situational fate or conscious choice, it’s worth noting that everything—all the ups and the downs—are necessary when it comes to Friko’s sound.
