SPILL NEWS: FRIGS ANNOUNCE DEBUT LP + SHARE NEW TRACK “TALKING PICTURES”

FRIGS ANNOUNCE DEBUT LP + SHARE NEW TRACK “TALKING PICTURES”

Rising Toronto post-punk four-piece FRIGS today announce their debut full-length album, Basic Behaviour, due out February 23 via Arts & Crafts. The band also shares the new track “Talking Pictures” and announce an expansive 27-date North American tour. Album art, tracklist, tour dates, and more information below.

“‘Talking Pictures’ was a turning point in the development of Basic Behaviour. There was a starkness to it that really resonated with us at the time, becoming a catalyst for a new style of songwriting that would eventually finish the record,” recalls vocalist Bria Salmena. “Lyrically, it is about the need to be stimulated. It was written during a period where I felt a lack of both external and internal encouragement, preventing me from thinking freely or creatively. Falling into a void of routine, I was distracting myself from real life experiences, and those experiences, once examined, seemed only filtered through interactions with technology and social media. In writing this song, I attempted to explore this void and my distracted state in hopes of losing any numbness I felt in my day-to-day life.”

Basic Behaviour, FRIGS’ debut, self-produced full-length, was written and recorded over a 16-month period, split between two locations: the band’s home studio and Union Sound Company in the east end of Toronto. As much as the lyrical subject matter within the record reflects personal experiences of frontwoman Bria Salmena, the album is a product of years of self discovery as a unit. Recording at home allowed the band to take the time to explore their sound, experimenting with sonic textures and production, and meticulously re-working their material. These sessions proved to be invaluable in creating a sound unique to FRIGS. However, a degree of positive urgency was deemed necessary in order to finalize the process. Working with engineer Ian Gomes, FRIGS embraced the limitations of third-party studio time and completed the record with a sense of immediacy. The resulting contrast between these two approaches in recording creates an end product that is at once stark, chaotic, reflective, and manic, ultimately forming the core of Basic Behaviour’s identity.

FRIGS is made up of Bria, Duncan, Lucas, and Kris. The band pairs the raw, emotional grunge of PJ Harvey with the immersive, psychedelic post-punk of early Sonic Youth. With each member bringing a unique set of influences, FRIGS create a sound that is hard to pin down and an impression that’s unshakable. Led by the force of Bria’s vocals, the band has earned a reputation for putting on a hypnotic and visceral live performance. Embracing the mercurial and experimental, their shows are built upon instinct; a vocal growl can unexpectedly give way to a hushed whisper; languid drones boil over into guttural and searing tones.

Starting in March, FRIGS hit the road for an expansive North American tour, which includes dates in Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Toronto, SXSW, and more. All dates below.

North American Tour Dates

03/01 – Montreal, QC – Bar le Ritz
03/02 – Boston, MA – O’Brien’s Pub
03/03 – Brooklyn, NY – Alphaville
03/04 – Philadelphia, PA – Kung Fu Necktie – Upstairs
03/05 – Lancaster, PA – Lizard Lounge
03/06 – Washington, DC – Black Cat
03/07 – Durham, NC – The Pinhook
03/08 – Savannah, GA – Savannah Stopover Festival
03/12 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade – Purgatory
03/13 – New Orleans, LA – Gasa Gasa
03/15 – Austin, TX – SXSW
03/16 – Austin, TX – SXSW
03/17 – Hot Springs, AR – Valley of the Vapors Festival
03/19 – Kansas City, MO – miniBar
03/21 – Denver, CO – Streets of London
03/22 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
03/23 – Boise, ID – Treefort Music Fest
03/24 – Portland, OR – Tonic Lounge
03/26 – Seattle, WA – The Funhouse
03/27 – Vancouver, BC – The Cobalt
03/29 – Calgary, AB – Broken City
03/30 – Edmonton, AB – Bohemia
03/31 – Saskatoon, SK – Amigo’s Cantina
04/01 – Winnipeg, MB – The Good Will
04/04 – Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle
04/06 – London, ON – Rum Runners
04/07 – Toronto, ON – The Garrison

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(Background Photo Credit: Chelsea Ivan)