Friko - Something Worth Waiting For

“Friko makes thoughtfully composed, unabashedly impassioned indie rock that wears its bleeding heart on its sleeve.” — The New York Times

“Something Worth Waiting For lives up to its title. The album levels up from Friko’s promising debut, ramping up the howl-along catchiness and explosive dynamics as Kapetan wails with the fervor of Y2K-era favorites.” – Stereogum

“Friko knows how to make a simple, yet profound message sound louder than life. ‘Still Around’ is the latest bit of proof that the group deserves a megaphone.” — Consequence, “Best Songs of the Week”

“There’s been no better post-Yankee Hotel Foxtrot band than Friko…I think they’re going to do for Chicago in the 2020s what Tweedy and his bandmates did 25 years ago.” — Paste

Friko—the Chicago based band of vocalist/guitarist Niko Kapetan, drummer Bailey Minzenberger, guitarist Korgan Robb, and bassist David Fuller—release “Something Worth Waiting For,” the final single from their highly anticipated sophomore album, Something Worth Waiting For, out this Friday via ATO Records.

Following “Still Around,” “Something Worth Waiting For” captures the frenzied intensity at the heart of Something Worth Waiting For. Kapetan comments, “Referencing lyrics from our first record, ‘Something Worth Waiting For’ became the band’s mission statement for our second LP. Later taking on the album name as well, this song pedals, drives, runs, bolts, and barrels forward without ever looking back over its shoulder. Ending with the only big distorted guitar build on the record, just like its title, it never quite reaches that climax. Leaning into the idea that the pace is everlasting, and the destination just seconds away, always.” Accompanying the new single is a live video which provides a taste of what to expect at the band’s upcoming shows.

This week, fans are welcome to join Friko for the 32nd edition of the Album Runs series to celebrate the release of the new album. On April 23rd at 6PM at Gracie O’Malley’s in Chicago, fans can run, walk, or jog to an early preview of Something Worth Waiting For on the eve of its release and ahead of their sold-out headline show at Chicago’s Metro on April 25th. RSVP is here. The band will then embark on an in-store tour throughout the upper Midwest ahead of appearing at WXPN’s NON-COMMvention on Thursday, May 5th, and before heading overseas later this summer to play Fuji Rock, Haldern Pop, and more festivals. Following, they will embark on a massive headline tour across North America this fall. Tickets are now on sale and available here. (Contact us with any requests!)

With Something Worth Waiting For, Friko mined inspiration from their endless state of motion over the past two years, arriving at a body of work that speaks to a more existential form of movement. Recorded with producer John Congleton (a Grammy Award-winner known for his work with St. Vincent, Mannequin Pussy, Mogwai, and more) at his studio in Los Angeles, Something Worth Waiting Forbears a heightened urgency that Friko partly attribute to a profound shift in their production process. And with the addition of Robb and Fuller to Friko’s lineup, Kapetan and Minzenberger found an ideal match for their viscerally attuned yet voraciously creative sensibilities.

In the making of their sophomore full-length, the band gained a powerful new clarity on their purpose and vision while embracing an even bolder sense of abandon, exploring everything from noise-rock to avant-garde classical to ’70s-era symphonic balladry. Equal parts sonically extravagant and emotionally searing, Something Worth Waiting For ultimately locates a wildly elusive balance between the wide-eyed idealism of youth and the self-possessed grit of lived experience.