Friko

CRITIC’S PICK
Fri., Feb. 28

Friko, Peel Dream Magazine, Smith’s Olde Bar—These Chicago based indie rockers have gained next-big-thing notoriety based on a few singles and their impressive 2024 full-length major label debut; a combination of post punk jagged edges with a surprising and often exuberant portion of pop and cinematic touches. Their songs twist and shout, punching some Pixies’ dust with Magnapop heft and complex loud/soft passages (a string quartet occasionally appears too) that threaten to veer off the road but never do. Each track takes some oblique turns with the ultimate effect being music you’re never sure where it’s going next. Well worth a look before their audience outgrows SOB’s intimate stage. — Hal Horowitz