First, start with a catchy, repetitive guitar riff. Throw in an off-handed drum fill, and then finish it off with some slightly cliche lyrics. That is the tried-and-true recipe for the new wave of rock n’ roll. Gone are the Black Sabbaths, Bruce Springsteens and Led Zeppelins of the 20th century, leaving us with only the wannabes trying to bring back the long gone glory days. Yet, in a genre of chronic repetition, a new voice has emerged: Chicago-born indie duo Friko.
Friko is the project of Niko Kapetan and Bailey Minzenberger, two 20-somethings with a fresh perspective on what it means to be a rock n’ roller. Their music is a little indie, a little angsty, and entirely emotionally honest in a way that feels authentic to the experience of being young.
The duo released their debut album, “Where we’ve been, Where we go from here,” just over a year ago, and it was met with acclaim from both fans and critics, hitting #9 on Pitchfork’s 30 Best Rock Albums of 2024. The album’s cover art contains a single crimson-colored cardinal, the centerpiece of the record, as it flutters along the album’s treacherous musical journey.
Since the release, Friko has taken their music worldwide, touring multiple continents including North America, Europe and Asia. Most recently, they came back to the States for their Spring 2025 Tour, one stop being at Atlanta’s Smith’s Olde Bar on Feb. 28.
After the crowd was let in at 7 p.m., they ambled up the venue’s iconic stairs that read, “It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll,” foreshadowing the show that awaited them in Smith’s Music Room. The audience gathered in the 300-capacity venue, and a fashion trend emerged: many concert-goers chose to wear crimson clothes, a nod to the album cover and track “Crimson to Chrome.”
The show was opened by Peel Dream Magazine, an indie group with catchy lyrics and even catchier melodies. The band is fresh off the release of their fourth album, “Rose Main Reading Room,” and are touring with Friko for the first several dates of the spring tour. The group pulled from their diverse discography, roping in the crowd with their curious vocals and keeping them enraptured throughout the show with their simple but massive stage presence.
Later, the curtains drew away to reveal Friko in all their glory perched on the venue’s intimate stage. Kapetan, the vocalist, wasted no time making sure that everyone was invested, teetering on the end of the stage and riling up the audience with truly impressive vigor. He flaunted his guitar like a trophy, waving it around and strumming with so much force that he could have broken a string.
The second song of the night was fan-favorite “Crimson to Chrome.” Although the lyrics are somewhat nonsensical, the emotion of the song is more so felt through Kapetan’s passionate delivery. The venue got to sing together, “We’re either too old, too bold or stupid to move / I guess we’re caught on the wrong side of the shoe again.”
The shout-and-answer format of “Chemical”’s chorus transformed into a yelling match between Kapetan and the crowd, each one trying to overpower the other’s cry of “Chemical!” “Crashing Through” marked another intense moment, with the song climbing the hill of a roller coaster before it plunged into free fall. Drummer Minzenberger marked this stomach-drop with huge cymbal crashes, ascending the song into sonic mayhem.
Just as the album has its emotional peaks and wanes, the angry, wild energy of the first half of the show died down into the live rendition of “For Ella.” The song’s meaning is up for interpretation, but it carries the heaviness of a love song with the mantra: “Ella, Ella, you’re a shooting star.” In an interview with their record label ATO Records, Friko described the track as an “ode to classical music,” noting their use of violins and cellos in the track’s instrumentation. The live version at Smith’s was nothing short of breathtaking, transforming the song into something intimate and real.
They rounded out the last of the set with “Get Numb to It!” — a tense catharsis and chaotic resolution to the tumultuous sonic journey. It felt as though every crowd member was letting go of their problems through a sort of musical therapy while shouting, “And it doesn’t get better, it just gets twice as bad because you let it / So, you better get numb to it, get numb to it, get numb to it.”
Friko didn’t just play the tired, old rock routine; they delivered an entire emotional experience at their show in Atlanta. The band is on a one-way trip to being indie rockstars, lapping others with their originality and ability to command a live audience. Rock is back, and Friko is leading the charge.