Friko

Friko is a Norwegian indie rock band formed in 2019. The group centres on vocalist and guitarist Niko Kapetan and drummer Bailey Minzenberger, with former bassist and founding member Luke Stamos involved in the early years and in the making of the band’s debut album.

Background

Kapetan and Stamos grow up as friends in kindergarten in the Chicago suburbs, and Minzenberger joins them later in high school. The members also share a long-standing connection through childhood and family life: Minzenberger comes from a musical family, with a father who plays jazz and classical guitar and an older sister who is a singer. Minzenberger starts drumming at 10 and later adds guitar, bass and piano. Kapetan also begins as a drummer and plays in bands throughout high school.

Although the act is identified as Norwegian, its early live history is tied to Chicago. Friko begins playing shows at venues such as the Empty Bottle and Schubas Tavern.

Sound and influences

Their music combines indie rock with post-punk, chamber-pop, experimental rock and art-rock. The band also works within noise pop, power pop and indie pop. Their writing is marked by ensemble vocals, heavy contrasts between loud, urgent passages and slower ballads, and a focus on intense emotional expression.

Friko’s influences include Romantic-era classical music and composers such as Frédéric Chopin. Minzenberger describes the feeling of Chopin’s nocturnes as similar to the sorrow they experience when playing music with Kapetan.

Recordings and releases

Friko self-releases its debut EP, Whenever Forever, in 2022. The band then signs to ATO Records and releases its first full-length album, Where we’ve been, Where we go from here, as the label debut. The album is produced by Scott Tallarida and Friko, with additional production from Jack Henry. It is mastered by Heba Kadry and engineered by Henry and Tallarida.

The album is recorded largely live at Trigger Chicago, a studio and event space used by Tallarida. Friends and collaborators contribute throughout the process, including Eli Schmitt on artwork, Alice Avery on video direction, and Stas Slyvka as tour manager. Macie Stewart and Alejandro Quiles add violin and cello to “For Ella”.

Tracks highlighted from the album include “Where We’ve Been”, which sets the tone for the record, “Crimson To Chrome”, which reaches No. 1 on the SiriusXMU chart for three weeks and appears on a Pitchfork Selects playlist, “Crashing Through”, “For Ella”, “Get Numb To It!”, and “Chemical”.

Live activity

Friko makes its festival debut at Bonnaroo in spring 2023 and becomes known for a high-energy live show that moves between intense volume and slower, more dramatic songs. The band describes its performances as aiming for a wide emotional range, from dancing to crying.

Themes

The group’s songs often return to questions of purpose, longing, despair and hope. Where we’ve been, Where we go from here is shaped around the idea of wanting better for oneself and others while confronting the world as it is.