Start Listening To: Friktion
From the vibrant music scene of Brighton to the intimate connection forged with their audience, Friktion shares insights into their journey as a band and their aspirations for the future.
Comprised of Jakob, hailing from the dual landscapes of America and Sweden, Ben representing Brighton, and Louis bringing his Texan roots to the streets of London, Friktion is a convergence of diverse backgrounds and boundless creativity. Together, they craft irresistibly catchy tunes that defy convention and compel you to move. In this conversation, we delve into the heart of Friktion's music, exploring their latest release ‘Grocery Store Bob Dylan’ the inspiration behind their sound, and the collaborative process that fuels their artistic endeavors.
For those unfamiliar with your music, can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?
We are Jakob (America/Sweden), Ben (Brighton), and Louis (London/Texas). We make catchy, off kilter, high energy indie-punk songs to make you move.
Congratulations on the upcoming release of ‘Grocery Store Bob Dylan’. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the song and its title?
Thanks so much! It started off as an over-caffeinated stream of consciousness poem that Jakob wrote and it eventually morphed into a full blown song. I guess it’s about a mythical character seeking fame with his nose in the air. He’s not a big household name, more like a value store brand name with a massive ego. This song is not about Bob Dylan by the way; but even ol’ Bobby has gotta buy his groceries somewhere.
How would you describe the sound and energy of Friktion to someone who hasn't heard your music before?
Bouncy, loud, chaotic, sticky.
Could you walk us through the songwriting and recording process for this single? How did the collaboration with your producer Julian Kindermann shape the final product?
The song came together quite fast once Jakob had the words and basic guitar riffs. We workshopped the arrangement in a couple hours and then tested it a couple days later when we played a show at Green Door Store. The audience was bobbing up and down and got really into it so we kinda knew right away maybe it was a good one for the first single.
Julian is an absolute wizard when it comes to recording, he’s been a great friend of ours for years now, and we were stoked that he was able to help us. We went really old school in the studio, recorded the song live on reel-to-reel tape, and we added minimal overdubs. The bossa nova bridge was all a bit of a fever dream: lots of banging on random objects and laughing maniacally.
Being based in Brighton, how has the local music scene influenced Friktion's music and ethos?
Brighton is amazing! There’s so much talent in the city, the community is super supportive of new music, and the venues are excellent. Places like Green Door Store, Rossi Bar, and The Hope and Ruin have been so kind to us and are super cool for providing a stage for new bands. There’s a place for everybody in Brighton so it really gave us the wings to be brave and weird with our music.
What do you hope listeners take away from ‘Grocery Store Bob Dylan’ and your music in general?
We hope people get up and shake to the song and maybe have a think about the words and how they might contain the secret to life.
Live performances seem to be an integral part of Friktion's identity. How does the energy and interaction with the audience inform your creative process?
We love playing live and we’d been playing shows for almost a year before we got in the studio to record. Our goal has always been to make music that people can jump around and sing along to so the audiences were huge in informing us what songs were good and worth recording/keeping in the set, and which ones were not gonna get us the mansion in the hills.
As a three-man whirlwind, how do you navigate the dynamics of collaboration and creative decision-making within the band?
Typically Jakob comes up with an idea for a song and we work on arrangement for a good while before we ever play it live. We’re not big on improv or jamming and we are usually quite calculated when it comes to songwriting. In addition, we all play multiple instruments and bounce off each other quite a lot in the practice studio to get all the parts maximised and nailed down tight.
What do you love right now?
Jakob - Ramen Noodles with zero english on the packaging. It’s like a kinder surprise that might burn through your stomach lining!
Ben - Michael Cera
Louis - Yellow Bird Serrano Hot Sauce
What do you hate right now?
Ben - Parkour
Louis - Sonic the hedgehog, he sucks
Jakob - Tik-tok. Call me a luddite grandpa but it scares the living daylights out of me. It’s psychologically engineered crack for the eyes.
Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s still important to you?
Louis - Demon Days by Gorillaz. I love the genre bending production and all the lore in the music videos. It was a true starting point for my music taste and listening to it now reminds me of that journey.
Ben - Different Class by Pulp. My dad introduced me to it and he got me into drumming. When I listen back to it, it reminds me of when I first started playing.
Jakob - Franz Ferdinand’s self-titled album. When I was a kid, I learned to play guitar by listening to all the early 2000s garage rock bands but Franz Ferdinand is the one I usually come back to. I love how tight and dancy it is but it still has thrust and chutzpah.
What's next for Friktion after the release of your debut single? Any plans for touring or future projects?
We recorded the debut single as part of an EP so we have some more songs in the vault ready to go. We’re planning on releasing a couple more singles in the coming months and then releasing the full EP after that. We plan on doing a small tour of the UK in the summer and we have some shows coming up in Paris, London, Bristol, and of course Brighton.
Finally, if you could describe Friktion's music in three words, what would they be?
Come find out…
