Local Review: frick. – Collection 1

frick.
Collection 1

Self Released
Street: 02.21
frick. = Violent Femmes + Sex Pistols

Salt Lake City–based lo-fi pop-punk band frick. released a record earlier this year, Collection 1—a compilation of their four previous EPs and one single.

Collection 1 is noisy, loud, thrashy punk. It is the brand of punk you’d hear from the Violent Femmes in 1983 or in Liily today. It is suitable for tiny, crowded basement shows where you’re sweaty and bumping into everyone, and for playing loudly in your headphones, drowning out the rest of the world. It’s music that doesn’t deserve to only be heard, but also felt—music that you need to hear loud enough to feel the floor vibrating underneath your feet to get the full experience.

“Runaway” possesses a quiet buildup before the guitars and drums kick in with full power, and the quiet breaks placed throughout the song provides a thrilling listen. It’s got passion and fury that comes across loudly and clearly; it sounds alive and wakes you up. “Alone” is another track I’m fond of, from the opening lyrics, “Where are you now / I miss you / You’re somewhere in Europe / I wish I was with you,” to the sounds of guitar clashing with drums. Its sound perfectly captures the frustration you feel when dealing with a long-distance relationship.

“We Should All Be Afraid,” the one and only single on this collection, is fantastic. It has that early-2000s, punk-rock vibe and a killer opening bass riff. The vocals are muffled in the best way, and the instruments are loud and powerful. This vibe carries throughout the album but comes across the clearest on this track, making it one of the album’s standout tracks.

frick.’s Collection 1 is a great introduction to the band’s music and, overall, a collection of great, loud punk tracks that aren’t to be missed. –Cherri Cheetah