ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Friko

The first Artist of the Week for 2023 is Chicago’s own Friko!

Photo by Nando Espinosa Herrera

I had the chance to see Friko when they opened up for Horsegirl at Thalia Hall, and their set that night proved that Chicago really does have the one of (if not the) best music scenes in the world as they mesmerized the audience with their dynamic indie rock style.

The trio composed of Niko Kapetan, Bailey Minzenberger, and Luke Stamos are relatively new to the Chicago scene, but Kapetan and Stamos have been friends since their kindergarten years. The pair officially became Friko when they joined up with Minzenberger during their senior year of high school. Now they’ve already made a big impact locally and released a steady stream of singles— most recently putting out their debut EP entitled “Whenever Forever” in March of 2022. Songs like “Half As Far” and “IN_OUT” captivate listeners by exploring quieter lo-fi moments that contrast against crescendoing guitar riffs.

Friko has also recorded an Audiotree session, featuring live versions of the majority of their aforementioned EP, and they kicked off on their first ever tour at the end of November last year, which ended with a hometown show at the legendary Metro. The band shared their excitement for getting out there and playing more shows by saying, “After spending a lot of time in the studio, we feel like we’ve really come into ourselves as a band and what we have to say, and can’t wait to share that with as many people that are willing to listen.”

Be sure to give Friko a follow to see what they get up to next, and tune into their music video for “IN_OUT” below. Also, if you’re in Chicago, catch them at Schubas on January 28th, along with a bunch of other Chicago bands, for an abortion funds benefit show.

ANCHR'S Artist of the Week: Horsegirl

Photo by Cheryl Dunn

Here at ANCHR, we love a good hometown act— and Horesegirl is one Chicago band you should definitely have on your radar. The trio is made up of Penelope Lowenstein (she/her), Nora Cheng (she/her), and Gigi Reece (they/them), and the members all started playing their own original music after playing in a Sonic Youth cover band.

We first got the chance to check out Horsegirl at Pitchfork Music Festival last year, when they only had a handful of singles released, but they still captivated the festival crowd with their blend of shoegaze, grunge and post-punk.

Since then, Horsegirl has signed to Matador records and made the announcement of their debut record, Versions of Modern Performance, which will be released June 3rd and include singles “Anti-glory” and “World of Pots and Pans.” Speaking about the latter single, the band says, “‘World of Pots and Pans’ is the first love song Horsegirl has ever written—or the closest thing to it. We wrote it in Penelope’s basement while preparing to leave for our first ever tour. The lyrics, inspired by the misinterpretation of a Television Personalities lyric, imagine a (possibly unrequited) romance unfolding through references to Tall Dwarfs, Belle & Sebastian, and The Pastels.” The trio worked together to craft the lyric video for the song in just a few hours, which attests to how collaborative the band remains in all aspects of the project.

The debut album was recorded in Chicago at Electrical Audio with producer John Agnello— you can pre-order a copy here, and make sure to come to the release show at Thalia Hall on Sunday, June 5th. Get your tickets here.

Premiere: Charlie Reed's "Don't Drop Me"

Today, ANCHR has the honor of premiering Charlie Reed’s debut single “Don’t Drop Me” from their upcoming record Eddy, out May 1, 2022.

Charlie Reed is Luke Trimble, Colin Croom, Nick Beaudoin, Nora Chin, Nolan Chin, and Justin Vittori

Charlie Reed is the project of Chicago musician and songwriter Luke Trimble, who is joined by bandmates Colin Croom on guitar and pedal steel, Justin Vittori on guitar, Nick Beaudoin on bass, Nolan Chin on piano and organ, and Nora Chin on backing vocals. The collaborative project began after Trimble experienced an apartment burglary that resulted in the loss of his music gear and his self-recorded demos for Charlie Reed. Out of the unfortunate event, Trimble was inspired to partner with his bandmates to work more collaboratively and step out of his comfort zone for a fresh start. “The physical reality of losing my stuff became this emotional metaphor for starting over in every way,” he says— and the end result became the new album material.

The lead single “Don’t Drop Me” came to fruition when Trimble began to reminisce about one of his first long-term relationships in which his partner decided to break things off with him. About writing this song, Trimble says, “I couldn’t believe that it was happening and what I had done to be ‘dropped’  or left behind. In retrospect I realize that I was in such a deep depression that I had no capacity to love this person anymore. In their eyes I was taking the relationship for granted."

Elaborating on the recording process of the song, Trimble adds, “The bones of the song were first tracked live. Bass, drums, acoustic guitar.  Starting off I didn’t think much besides I liked the hook. Since we hadn’t really rehearsed it I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. That enabled me to have some fun with the song. I pieced some of the instruments together at my home. Vocals, electric guitar, and Nolan on My upright piano. Later, Colin added some awesome guitar lead and keys that really brought the song together making it one of my favorites on the album."

You can watch the official video for the song below, and make sure to follow Charlie Reed on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter.

Premiere: Dream Version's "A Mind Can Change"

Dream Version is Alec Harryhausen, Eric Brummit and Michael Kunik

Chicago three-piece Dream Version has always been an ANCHR favorite, thanks to their infectious energy during their live performances and their tendency to push their creative boundaries. That’s why this week, we’re honored to be premiering the brand new video for their single “A Mind Can Change,” from their upcoming self-titled album.

Dream Version says that for their third album, they’ve decided to take a moment to simply inhabit the space they’ve created— calling upon their two mantras of “Don’t waste time” and “Don’t condescend.” Throughout the span of time between this record and 2017’s Fight Fair, the trio has experienced marriage, divorce, relocation, and the Covid-19 pandemic. The band says, “The result is a looser set of songs that represents everything we like and everything we’re capable of.  We decided to name it after ourselves.”

Elaborating on the new single “A Mind Can Change,” Alec Harryhausen says the inspiration stems from his fundamentally cynical attitude. He adds, “A lot of the story of this album started with me looking up at a dirty ceiling fan in my apartment and thinking, ‘That’s just the way life is; the ceiling fan’s dirty and I’ll never have the time or energy to clean it.’  The notion that it can take about 30 seconds to solve a problem like that, believe it or not, has been kind of revolutionary.  It was a fundamental part of my world view that most problems are facts of life, and even that we as a species might not deserve to have clean ceiling fans.”

From there, he began to shift his own mindset and to rewire his perspective. That fresh outlook, coupled with Harryhausen’s appreciation for Plastic Ono Band, led to him working through his demo of “A Mind Can Change” with bandmates Eric Brummit and Michael Kunik to build out the dynamics of it and keep it interesting for the whole run time. “It was a challenge for us to play this slow; we had to practice it a lot,” the band says.

For the music video, Dream Version worked with director Patrick Betzold, who had some experience doing animated work at his job and wanted to try it in a more ambitious way. As the band describes it, the video tells the story of 3 astronauts leaving behind a dead planet and trying to find a new one.

Watch the video below, and be sure to pre-order the self-titled album ahead of its July 30th release date here, or snag a ticket to the record release show to pick up a copy in person!

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Divino Niño

Sheeta-Kuri-Ooah! ( I am not sure what that means but it sounds like a great salutation.) As I'm sure many of you Chicago music lovers were able recognize, that is a lyric from the title track of Divino Niño's album Foam.

Photo by Alexa Viscius

Divino Niño is a five piece rock band based in Chicago composed of Camilo Medina, Javier Forero, Guillermo Rodriguez-Torres, Pierce Codina, and Justin Vitorri. Forero and Medina were buds as young children in Bogota, Columbia but when Forero's family moved to Miami, the two had lost touch… That is, until one day, Medina's family also moved to Miami, and fate had it to where he and Ferero reconnected when they recognized each other on the bus. In Miami they attended the same church where they had the opportunity to perform before an audience and experience the high of performing live. Years later, the pair moved to Chicago for college and their new independence granted them the opportunity to discover secular music like The Beatles and The Beach Boys, which thankfully for us, began the formation of Divino Niño.

Foam is a lovely album that should be on every vinyl collector's list. All ten songs are exceptional. “Melty Caramelo”? Bop. “Coca Cola”? Bop. “Maria”? Heart Break Bop.

Before anyone asks, yes, Divino Niño did make Perez's Best of 2019 with their song “Foam.” It was a hit amongst my fans. Full disclosure though, they sing in both Spanish and English— so if that turns you off, grow up. It's 2021 and all of us should be able to groove no matter the tongue. I love that we here in Chicago get to have our own Latin music group that we get to claim. Even cooler is that they actually sound great. With the present popularity of Latin-American artists being so high, i.e. Cuco, Omar Apollo, and the Marías to name a few, Divino Niño add a beautiful psychedelic rock ambiance to the current prevailing musical climate. I have yet to catch them live (I know, I know, very unlike me), but I'm pumped to finally get the chance to check them out at Pitchfork this fall.

Snag your own copy of Foam here, and get tickets to Pitchfork fest here.

ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Fauvely

Fauvely is Sophie Brochu, Dale Price, Dave Piscotti & Phil Conklin / Photo by Aaron Ehinger

At this point in the pandemic, we’ve all got our list of “things-we-can’t-wait-to-do-after-Covid.” At the very top of my post-pandemic bucket list sits a night out at a venue like Schubas or Empty Bottle, seeing a bill of Chicago bands perform. It may still be a while before we can all gather and experience the magic of the bustling local music scene together, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t new music continuing to be created in the city.

One group that has been hard at work crafting their debut album throughout the past year is Fauvely, the project of songwriter Sophie Brochu and bandmates Dale Price, Dave Piscotti, and Phil Conklin. Following the 2017 EP Watch Me Overcomplicate This, Fauvely gained traction in Chicago performing everywhere from The Hideout to Sleeping Village and Lincoln Hall. The band had kicked off 2020 with a slot playing alongside Hand Habits at the annual Tomorrow Never Knows festival, with plans to tour in Japan and perform as an official showcasing artist at SXSW festival during the spring.

While those tour dates unfortunately never came to fruition, Fauvely reemerged in early 2021 with “May3e,” the lead single off their upcoming album. The track resonates with vulnerability, driven by Brochu’s reflective lyrics and dreamy vocal range. This same sentiment carries over into the latest single that Fauvely released earlier this month. “There’s always a reason to be sad,” Bronchu sings on “Always,” which I think we all can agree rang particularly true during the year 2020.

These two songs lead up to the release of Fauvely’s debut album Beautiful Places, a collection of songs which the band describes as being “about duality: light and dark, memory and haze, being stuck and running away.” Pre-order the record ahead of its April 2nd release date on Bandcamp and check out the video for “May3e” below.

ANCHR's Artist of the Day: Fran

As the project of songwriter and vocalist Maria Jacobson, Fran has quickly become an integral part of the Chicago music scene. Inspiration initially struck Jacobson when she was working as an actor at a summer repertory theatre in rural Indiana, and she taught herself to play guitar. She continued to play and write songs while teaching English in a small city in Mexico.

Eventually, Jacobson moved back to Chicago and found a band to perform with. Playing just about every local venue ranging from The Hideout to Thalia Hall, Fran has continued to connect with audiences thanks to Jacobson’s ability to illustrate her own narratives in a universal light that allows listeners to paint themselves into the plot lines. In 2019, Fran released a well-received debut album A Private Picture via Fire Talk Records to follow up the 2017 EP More Enough, and we can’t wait to hear more of Jacobson’s storytelling in the future.

2020 has already seen Fran on the lineup for Tomorrow Never Knows Festival, and they’ve got a couple of shows coming up in Chicago this month. Get your tickets to see Fran at The Empty Bottle tomorrow, February 7th, here and tune into “Company” and “So Surreal” below.

PREMIERE: "Underwater/Outerspace" Music Video by Sugarpulp

Today we’re pleased to share the premiere of the brand new music video for “Underwater/Outerspace” by Chicago’s own Sugarpulp.

Translating their sound from audio to video was a challenge that inspired Sugarpulp and music video director, Kevin Pickman. But the main goal was to have some fun. “When the band and I started discussing the aesthetic, we wanted something that was visually eerie and psychedelic but also didn’t take itself too seriously,” said Pickman. “Our main goal was to have fun with costumes and science fiction tropes.” Sugarpulp singer Deb Chesterman agreed. “Building the costumes and the storyline was like being a kid again and putting on a play for your parents.” To help them play dress-up, Aro Farmilant created the set and costumes. “Dreaming this universe into existence with the group was definitely mind-altering…there’s an ether of infinite possibilities to Underwater/Outerspace.”  Developing a visual world with musical elements posed another challenge to the band’s process. “We all got to use our creativity in ways that don’t manifest directly into music,” said Chesterman. Pickman’s storyline supported this process by combining plot with aesthetic. “I incorporated an idea my brother and I created for a graphic novel: a heartbroken woman travels to another dimension to steal the identity of her parallel self to continue a relationship she had lost.” In the world of Sugarpulp, anything is possible.

Get your first look at the music video below, and keep up with Sugarpulp on Facebook // Twitter // Instagram. The band will also be hosting a release show for the music video at Demons on Damen this Friday, January 31st-details here.

PREMIERE: "Good News" Music Video by Fauvely

Photo by Sean Kelly

Today we’re sharing the first look at Fauvely’s music video for “Good News,” from the band’s 2019 EP This is What the Living Do.

For the music video, the band teamed up with Sean Kelly and Remsy Atassi of Emulsion Lab to shoot the project on an Eclair NPR Ultra 16mm vintage camera, which interestingly is the same model that was used for Texas Chainsaw Massacre. “We've more or less adopted a deer as the Fauvely mascot and wanted to run with this theme, albeit in a really silly way. Our music can be on the sadder side…“Good News” is essentially a tongue-in-cheek anthem of self-defeat, so it was nice to do something absolutely ridiculous to off-set this,” says Fauvely’s lead vocalist and songwriter Sophie Brochu.

Tune into the new video below, and make sure you catch Fauvely at The Empty Bottle on Sunday, December 8th with Say Sue Me.

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Keep up with Fauvely on Facebook // Instagram // Twitter

PREMIERE: "Glutton" by The Tomblands

Photo by Victor Von Goethe

Today we’re premiering the brand new video for “Glutton” by The Tomblands. The single drops ahead of their new EP GNAW, which is slated for release on Halloween.

Talking about the new single, the band says “Glutton” began with an opening riff that snowballed as they continued to build on it and gain momentum. “When we got to adding lyrics, we got really Cronenberg-y with it. The song became about a massive, all-consuming blob organism that consumes everything it touches but doesn’t really see any ethical quandary in that, it just sees it as a natural kind of assimilation,” they add.

For the “Glutton” video, the band wanted to channel the same goofy and campy energy of their past music videos, while also showcasing them performing. “We landed on the head-to-head ‘Tomblands vs. Evil Doppelgangers’ concept because we were able to get access to this huge school auditorium space and wanted a fun way to use it,” they say about the video’s plot. “Then we brought on our friend David Arias, who hadn’t done that many videos before, but had absolutely killed all the stuff that he’s done for his band Avantist and a few other artists around town. We pretty much gave him total creative control and he ran with it, taking it in some Edgar Wright-y directions while throwing in a lot of his own lo-fi style. The shoot itself was a hectic two-parter, but we got it done with the help of Morgan Cieselski (the videographer) and a bunch of other friends who showed up last minute to be in the crowd.”

Check out the premiere of the cinematic saga below, and catch The Tomblands’ next show on November 15th at Liar’s Club.

Keep up with The Tomblands on Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

PREMIERE: "All You Got" by Modern Vices

Today, Modern Vices shares their new music video for “All You Got,” the lead single off their upcoming album If Only. The new music marks a return for the Chicago band, delivering their sophomore effort as a follow up to their 2014 self-titled debut.

Photo by Kevin Allen

For their highly anticipated follow up, the band primarily worked in their hometown, experimenting with self-production and analog recording at Treehouse Records, which guitarist Peter Scoville says allowed them to approach the recording process from a new angle. For the first album, the band made an DIY record with limited gear, but for If Only, Scoville says, “This time we were able to explore the studio and experiment with different equipment and work in different settings.” In addition to experimenting with advanced gear, the band also ventured out of the city to Nashville and Bowling Green, where they recorded in different studios with new producers in order to also expand upon their writing techniques. “Working with others present really helped to push ourselves harder as songwriters, both in and out of the studio,” says bassist and keyboardist Miles Kalchik. “Having an outside ear to our sound meant we could take a step back on what certain songs needed structurally or sonically and fully flesh out new ideas to their fullest potential.”

Combining their years of experience playing music together and their refreshed approach to songwriting and recording, If Only also sees the band come into a more stylized and refined space, while still maintaining their original intentions. “Lyrically and instrumentally this record displays the different rhythms of love and emotion,” says vocalist Alex Rebek. “One song may be about a friend while the other is about someone closer or something experienced in a dream. The complexity of love and emotion may seem infinite, but expressing it thoroughly through music is our way to shed light on a specific feeling.”

The band will celebrate If Only’s October 24th release date with a show at Schubas. Get ready for the new era of Modern Vices by getting your first look at the video for “All You Got” below.

If Only Tracklist:

1) Of The Night

2) All You Got

3) The Moment

4) Not A Problem

5) If Only

6) For Yourself

7) Telephone TV

8) On My Side

9) Alora

Keep up with Modern Vices on Twitter // Instagram // Facebook

PREMIERE: "Closer" by Rainbow James

Rainbow James is Griff Johnson, Charlie Yokom, Mike Cangemi, and Colin Mohr

When I think of the Chicago band scene, a middle school cafeteria comes into my mind pretty instinctually. When I break down the way my middle school cafeteria looked, there are some hard-to-miss parallels to our beloved Chicago musicians. There’s the cool kid table where they are wearing the newest Vans and trading crumbled cigarettes they stole from their big brother for that extra piece of pizza. There is a table with the drama kids where they are all dressed like their favorite Broadway character and communicate with each other with whistle tones and guttural sounds no one understands. I want to draw your attention to one table in particular. At this table, four boys are sitting close together; unreasonably close for lunchtime circumstances. They are typically putting lunch meat on each other’s faces while one braids the other boy’s bangs. If you stumble upon this table, you have oh so luckily ran into the boys of Rainbow James.

The boys of Rainbow James no longer put salami on each other’s faces (that I know of), but they do play music, and they play it well. Breaking into the Chicago music scene can be a big heaping pile of complicated but the boys of Rainbow James have done it with pizazz, creativity, and are sharing some of the catchiest tunes I have heard to date. When first hearing this band name, I was perplexed and more confused than anything. I came to learn that Rainbow James is slang for sprinkles. Maybe you have heard of Rainbow Jimmies? The boys say their time in Boston is what generated this name, but I beg to differ. Sprinkles, in layman's terms, are these colorful pieces of awesome to top off your favorite dessert. Rainbow James has done just that to my favorite playlists. They have finished them off; they are cherry on top, making your plain vanilla cone truly delightful.

With the release of their EP “Songs About James” and now their newest single “Closer”, I asked the boys of RBJ what it was like creating this new track. Mike Cangemi (bass) says, “It is the first song we worked on and recorded with Charlie [Yokom], so it was cool to have one more person collaborating in the songwriting process as well as heading another instrument to think about.” As Rainbow James’ sound grows, so does my affection towards this group of musicians. With their next show happening July 14th at 365-viii, I shall unashamedly be playing their songs on a loop until I can see Rainbow James take the stage, giving us all colors of the rock spectrum a listener could hope for.

Now take a listen to “Closer” early, before its official release tomorrow, July 2nd.

PREMIERE: "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'" By Thompson Springs

In honor of Lou Reed’s birthday today, Thompson Springs has recorded a cover of The Velvet Underground’s “Oh! Sweet Nuthin’” — and we’ve got the exclusive premiere!

Thompson Springs is Matt Smith, Andy Goitia, Jacob Bicknase // Photo by Jake Hanson

Recorded, mixed, and mastered at Treehouse Records by Barrett Guzaldo straight to analog tape, this single comes ahead of Thompson Springs’ debut full length album, to be released later in 2019.

Take a listen to the new single below, and if you’re heading to SXSW this year, don’t miss Thompson Springs at our ANCHR SXSW Showcase at Shiner’s Saloon on March 14th.

Keep up with Thompson Springs on Facebook and Instagram.

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