Friedberg share debut EP, featuring new single ‘Yeah’ (Marathon Artists)

Friedberg – one of the UK’s most exciting all female four-pieces – today release their debut EP, ‘YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH’, out now on Marathon Artists. The record features brilliant brand new track, ‘Yeah’ (watch the lyric video here), as well as recently-released, energy-filled singles ‘Midi 8’ and ‘Lizzy’.

Born out of a vision to create a totally new sound, London-based, Austrian-born Anna Friedberg (writer, vocals, cowbell, guitar, and more cowbell) and backed by a stellar cast of musicians, Emily Linden (guitar, vocals), Cheryl Pinero (bass, vocals) and Laura Williams (drums), they are developing exactly that. Music that is both immediately familiar but also like nothing you’ve ever heard before. Friedberg, when literally translated, means “peaceful mountain”, but this is far from the frenetic and booming sound of Anna’s colossal new project.

The full EP’s duality of upbeat, dance-inducing songs and emotionally heavy lyrics on topics of fear, insecurity and the breakdown of a codependent relationship, feel like an all-night party that ends up with new friends on the roof in fuzzy conversation, content in life’s mysteries. New single, ‘Yeah’, flows with the energy and euphoric relief of giving in and letting go, as Anna explains: “My personal anthem for letting go-of everything and anything. From voices in your head, pictures popping up and patterns you have learnt. When we wrote the song we were just dancing to the groove in the studio until all those voices and things disappeared and basically only the yeahs, the beat and bass line remained haha. Dancing yourself clean I suppose.”

Introducing us to the EP, titled ‘YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH’ as a homage to the great British response to almost every question (‘is one Yeah not enough?!’ says Anna), Friedberg first released the magnetic ‘Pass Me On’ last year. The tune is inspired by a drama-filled relationship Anna had and an ode to moving on and moving up, drenched with a hypnotic guitar loop and Anna’s breathy yet assured lyrics “with every breath that I breathe, you make me feel like a thief”. ‘Lizzy’ dropped soon after and showcases the band’s  blend of post punk, alt-rock doused in alluring pop sensibilities, delving into the inner workings of Anna’s mind at a party where she found herself on a psychedelic trip surrounding the TS Eliot Poem The Love song of J. Alfred Prufrock.

Listen to the new EP HERE / Watch the lyric video for ‘Yeah’ HERE

Charged with frenetic immediacy, energised by synth and insistent drums and Anna’s distinctive vocals, ‘Midi 8’ is the single on the EP that proves the band is willing to push their sound into exciting new realms. The track was born out of a wild studio session Anna had with Daniel Brandt in Berlin, and working alongside long-time collaborator Max Parovsky, ‘Midi 8’ dropped with a captivating visual nodding to Anna’s fascination with cowbells, as she surfs on a giant one. Anna’s beautiful vocals are pushed to the forefront on ‘Your Hollywood’, a soft and introspective track, with pondering lyrics (“but I was just hoping that I’d find something better in your Hollywood”).

Friedberg first released music under this new incarnation in 2019 with the successive release of two stand-out singles, catching the imaginations and attention of everyone and anyone who heard them. The last year has seen Friedberg grow together, experimenting with all the different skills and talents available to them, refining their distinctive sound and honing their already highly praised live show.  With European headline shows and festival slots already under their belts (Reeperbahn, Eurosonic, BBC Introducing etc), Friedberg have already earned a reputation as one of the most exciting new bands around right now. Simultaneously, they’ve been receiving very impressive amounts of support on the radio across Europe including over 6,000 plays (and a number of playlist additions) including Radio 1, 6 Music, Radio X in the UK while amassing over 6.5 million streams to date.

Friedberg’s debut EP is available now along with a pre-order of the transparent 12″ vinyl of ‘YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH’ releasing on April 9th. Listen here.

EP Tracklisting:

1.   Pass Me On
2.   Lizzy
3.   Yeah
4.   Midi 8
5.   Your Hollywood

EP artwork. Photo Credit: Henry Gorse