Friko has sped through the trajectory of most bands. Two albums in, they now find themselves detailing the highs and lows of fame. Something Worth Waiting For is a telling title, a strong follow-up to Where We’ve Been, Where We Go from Here, and a chance to hear how the band has adapted. They charted where they were; now look at where they are. Something Worth Waiting For is a welcome and mature look at how fame affects the wants and needs of anyone, let alone a band that set off with such a magnificent first album. Friko asks its listeners to cling to whatever they can that makes them happy. Positivity is not an attitude or force but a concept that is not burrowing as deeply as it once did for anyone. Such is the spiral at play for the world now, and the sink or swim mentality that Friko captures here is blunt, to the point, but also considerate and warm.
Something Worth Waiting For leads with that fine balance of enjoying the moment, fearing the future, and taking the past for granted. Opening track Guess is a powerhouse of a start. Friko is two for two on albums where their first song is a beautiful statement, a setting of the mood and a touch on where their heads are as a collective. Looking outward for happiness is no longer an option, the band argues. Internally, it’s not looking much better, for the band or the listener. Strong lyrical concepts are backed well by an instrumental blowout which is teased well, bursting through with such purpose. Incredibly strong work from the band, and it’s spread well across Something Worth Waiting For. They sound as confident as they did on their first album, but Friko has honed the purpose of their writing that much better. Blunt yet nuanced blends on Still Around questions the people still lingering. It’s as clear as the title could be.
They use that same instrumental blast, but teased well and stopped short here. Effective work like that is frequent from Friko. Choo Choo and Alice slow the instrumentals but do not puncture the emotional core of Something Worth Waiting For. That “something” can be anything, from romance to rewards and back through to a general peace of mind which the band never quite manages to grasp or convince themselves of. The story they tell across Something Worth Waiting For is one that listeners will have heard all before, but the little details, the periods of reflection found within, are staggering. Certainty is the next step that so few artists are including. The “what next?” question lingers, and while it does not need an answer, it needs tackling all the same irrespective of your career, your choices, and the consequences of such direction. Friko gives it that inevitably rich, string-backed background, but the song feels deserving of such a tone.
Volatile, frenetic, but still calm at times. Such is life. Something Worth Waiting For is a phenomenal reflection, a validation of feelings which were not expected in the euphoric moments. Those successes tailored to imposter syndrome, that lingering doubt or hang-up affecting a moment of jubilation. They’re all caught in the wash here and Friko does well, better than most even, to untagle it all. Hot Air Balloon is an exceptional moment for that, a spirited moment that tees the band up for a run of exceptional, latter-half tracks. Friko begins a slow walk towards certainty and is desperate to bring their listener with them, not to please or to win them over, but because the band believes they deserve that same conclusion in the search for clarity. Acoustic-driven songs like Seven Degrees and the title track are that euphoric, hopeful feeling we all want, but pair it with the context of contemplation before it, and you have a powerhouse of an album on your hands.
Discover more from Cult Following
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
