Local Review: frick. – frick.

frick.
frick.
Self-Released
Street: 02.16
frick. = PUP + Fugazi + Jeff Rosenstock

At first listen of frick.’s debut self-titled album, I asked myself, “What are these cats so angry at?,” before I quickly realized I’m angry at the exact same things, too. frick. is Brad (vocals/guitar), Syd (drums) and Preston (bass). Together they are rebels without a cause and with nothing much to do, taking a flamethrower to nothing much at all—and being okay with it anyway. As three punk-rock rebels trying to find balance in a post-pandemic election year, frick. delivers anthems for modern times, the end of democracy and early retirement plans.

frick. starts off the album by raging against first world problems. On the opening track “oh frick,” Brad sings, “I’m so sick of having moments like these / Expired milk / A record scratch / Or when they give you red sauce instead of green.” I can relate! Everyone can relate! Brad continues: “Like when you don’t want to leave / So you order delivery / But they can’t figure out how to get in the building / So you have to get out of bed and get dressed and go outside anyway.” Nothing escapes Frick’s wrath: “I hate pigeons / Sky rats” and “Fuck! I got a paper cut!” 

Lyrically, the track “better with you” is pretty much the musical embodiment of any love emoji. However, frick. takes the track and shoves it through a meat grinder with a guitar and drum attack that will melt your ears while Brad sings about being in love. It’s a very anxious and loud valentine.

The guitar/drum/bass attack on this record is relentless and unforgiving like a wrecking ball, and Brad unleashes a voice that demands to be heard as he preaches about the banal, mundane realities of modern living. frick. joins bands like Pissed Jeans, PUP and Jeff Rosenstock that expose the anxieties of relatable, boring things. frick.’s philosophy falls between Fugazi in 1991 with Steady Diet Of Nothing and a sitcom in the ‘90s about the exact same thing.

In one of SLUG’s recent Local Music Singles Roundups, Asha Pruitt pulled out a fantastic lyric from the track “zig-zag” and I’m pulling the exact same lyric because it is so perfect: “So I go left /  But you go left / Then I go right / But you go right / I go left, you go left / Looks like we’re dancing tonight.” I love it because it sums up the whole theme of this record. We all live in the same anxious and awkward world, so at some point we need to just say, “Fuck it!” and dance it out.

To be clear, I don’t necessarily think frick. is raging against nothing. I’m saying they are raging against the right things, the things right in front of our faces—things that may be silly, simple, trivial, annoying or a little hurtful, but things that spike anxiety just the same. I hate hangnails, bananas that start to go brown the day after I buy them and being asked to pull forward to wait for the fast food I just ordered. Just some suggestions for the next frick. record—you’re welcome! I know frick. can turn these inconsequential, stupid things into badass, power driving, mind-blowing punk-rock anthems—all in under two minutes’ time. 

I loved everything about this record. I loved the simple minimalist production. I can’t wait to hear more from this frick’n band. But for now, enjoy this one. You won’t be disappointed. –Russ Holsten

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