Friends: I'm His Girl
“ESG-style polyrhythmic post-disco on a tropical-pop trip” – Stereogum Band to Watch
“If there is to be one more band (from Brooklyn) then it should definitely be Friends” – Dazed and Confused
Sensual, provocatively percussive pop comes naturally to Friends. But you may be surprised by “I’m His Girl” – the second single from the Brooklyn newcomers – and just how cool and pop it is. As rapturous as Blondie’s best, and as stylish as Neneh Cherry’s tip-top pop gem “Buffalo Stance,” it’s the finest fusion of lo-fi indie cool and soulful urban textures of 2011.
This quintet of essential and un-missable characters, led by the captivating 23-year-old Samantha Urbani, are unified by their single-minded musical independence and defiant trend resistance. These Friends play in traffic at a busy intersection of leftfield but party-hardy musical styles – ESG, Tom Tom Club, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Warpaint – which they orchestrate effortlessly and winningly into a singular aesthetic. Fun and free spirited for sure, but it’s always strong-minded. Check the lyrical message: “It’s all about affection, not possession with us … I’ll do exactly what I want, when I’m with him and when I’m not.”
Equally tantalising is the flipside. Ghost Town DJs’ 1996 hit, “My Boo”, has long been a live favourite for the band. Now here it is recorded: a full-throttle sing-a-long, retaining the thrilling pop sensibility of the original, and injecting a healthy dash of Friends’ effortless attitude and edgy groove.
Friends will head over for their debut UK shows in late September, alongside fellow Lucky Number signings, Caged Animals. On stage the band are a sexy and sweat-inducing spectacle. Don’t miss this early opportunity to feel the full Friends effect.
