FOR the past two decades, homegrown indie rock band The Fridays have been a staple name in Kuala Lumpur's underground music circuit.
In that time, the Ampang-born band has earned itself a cult following. It also held the reputation for being one of the city's longest-running bands of the genre and a hidden gem.
Earlier last week, the band announced the release of their sophomore album ‘No One Realizes This Is Nowhere’, which will be made available on all major streaming platforms on July 2.
The announcement on Tuesday (June 1) also dropped alongside the launch of their latest music video for 'Constellation'. The song, taken off the record, carries strong influences of midwestern Emo soundscapes, and also shows the six-piece band's intimate performance in a studio setting.
The 11-track ‘No One Realizes This Is Nowhere’ will also arrive some six years after the band's first full-length album ‘Verklempt’, released in May 2015.
Along with the announcement, the band opened a pre-order for the album with a limited first run of 150 copies, where the songs can also be previewed.
The Fridays' frontman Acap F notes that the sophomore album was a slight departure from their debut. But the core of the band's distinctive sound and influences remained intact.
"A lot has happened (in the six years), indeed. Some of us are starting families. Some of us now finally have steady jobs. Some have left and some have returned," he told The Vibes when contacted.
Acap said despite the gap between the albums, The Fridays' method of working together remained the same.
"We still jam and when we stumble across a good idea, we focus on it and make pop songs out of it," he said.
"Influences are always fluxing, but I guess we’re pretty much listening to things that sound like good old favourites: Beabadoobee, Wallows, Grrrl Gang... things that sound much like the 90s indie alt-pop thing we like."
With The Fridays entering its 18th year as a band, the group has also seen some lineup changes in the past.
However, the current members, consisting of drummer and backing vocalist Afniaz ‘Kakak’ Afiq, bassist Adib Azhari, guitarists Fikri 'Usher' Zulkifly, and Pak Iran, as well as keyboardist Subkhi Pamungkas, have been part of the band for over a decade.
"The Fridays has been playing for 18 years; we’re legal now," Acap quipped.
"Most of us were always hanging out anyway being members of the same club: the ones that didn’t make it big in the big 2008 indie boom."
On the theme of the album, Acap said that "nowhere" is where everyone is situated now, as they are standing on ground zero in one way or another. He said that it could be with the loss of something, or someone, or even the gloom and doom of the lockdown, which had left many stranded in the middle of nowhere.
"It could be taken as a cynical, defeatist thing to say, but the way I see is that it’s about not paying attention to our current situation [but] making the best out of it, to rise above it, to rise above nowhere."
"The songs are much about this: embracing the fact that there is nothing corny or cheesy about second chances and starting over."
To cut the album, The Fridays worked alongside veteran producer Faiz Fadzil, who brought them to the infamous King's Studio in Petaling Jaya for recordings.
"Faiz Fadzil knows how to get the best out of us. He produced our debut album too, so it was a no-brainer to work with him again," Acap said, adding that King’s Studio was Faiz's idea.
"He used to work there back in the 90s and he knew that the main live room sounded killer. But as a history and pop culture junkie, I’m just happy to record where Butterfingers recorded some of their best stuff."
On the duration of the recording, Acap said the band spent 12 hours recording all 11 tracks on the new album.
The timing of the release, however, was something the band did not anticipate. Acap said they were caught blindsided by the sudden movement control order (MCO), which he notes, was a "simple miscalculation."
He also listed the songs 'Constellation', 'Planking Without Passion Looks So Dumb', and 'Mother Take Me To Topshop' as his choice tracks for the release.
"Constellation because it’s probably the closest we’ve come to achieving the sound of the moment, albeit ironically. Planking because it’s so us with the jangly guitars and all, and Topshop because the guitars on that are just gnarly," he said.
"Some songs were written a while back. We tend to hold on and marinate the songs into their final form via live performances and rehearsals that often span years."
On the band's upcoming plans – Acap said they will be performing online shows, which will likely include an online launch of the album to ensure it "gets [a] proper send-out into the world." – The Vibes, June 8, 2021
