Friends

by | Jul 11, 2012 | Reviews

“Sweaty, sexy female-fronted dance music studded by ’70s rhythms”

Manifest!

Brooklyn, NY

(Fat Possum Records)

Brooklyn, NY’s party-bringer quintet bears searing rhythms and hip-shaker beats on their debut LP, Manifest! via a gamut of instrumentation: congas, sun setting guitars, electronic flourishes and Samantha Urbani’s seductive vocals. The band self-proclaims their genre as “weird pop,” which is surprisingly accurate; although the casual listener will file this record near Ladytron, Chromatics and Florence and the Machine. Expect lots of bass, elongated rhythms supported by strangely well-curated percussion, drum machines, lightly-echoed harmonized vocals and shamelessly voyeuristic, yet infectious dance pop. Songs like “Stay Dreaming” rise above and showcase band versatility by creating dance music that is equal parts intelligent, liberated and sweaty.

The group is tight and bounces along effortlessly, with lots of lyrical flirtation and overtly sexually-charged poetry, “You perch like a church / my pedestrian self trivializes your worth … oh boring guy / I’m thinking I want to touch it” from the simmering and bass-warped grooves in “Ruins.”

Ranked on NME’s “Best New Band” list, the group has been getting a lot of traction on the road, both domestically and internationally. Their album comes just in time for summer, providing the sunset soundtrack for rooftop bar-hopping and beachfront dance parties.

Engineered by Daniel Schlett

Recorded at Strange Weather Studios in Brooklyn, NY

Produced by Friends

www.afriendszone.com