Friko Find Comfort in the Journey With New Track ‘Choo Choo’

Friko keep the momentum going with “Choo Choo,” an energizing and playful indie-rock gem off their upcoming second studio album. In the track, bandmates Niko Kapetan (vocals/guitar), Korgan Robb (guitar), David Fuller (bass), and Bailey Minzenberger (drums) mold a raw, multilayered sound with lyrics that echo a longing for escapism, courtesy of one particular mode of transportation.

“I’ve always had a thing with the magic of trains, and when I was writing that song, I started singing ‘choo choo,’ and it made me laugh,” Kapetan shares in a statement. “It always feels good to play live, with all the slowdowns and speed-ups, but it’s also a very emotional homage to the band and how they feel like home to me.”

The track’s accompanying music video, directed by Anastasiya “Stas” Slyvka, fittingly spotlights the transit system of the band’s home city, Chicago.

“There’s nothing light-hearted about trains,” adds Kapetan. “They have moved us for hundreds of years, and probably will for hundreds more. Heavy, chugging things that carry far more human weight than any of us could ever bear. Life reveals itself in a seat by the window, watching carousels go by.”

Friko, Something Worth Waiting For

TRACK LIST

1. “Guess”
2. “Still Around”
3. “Choo Choo”
4. “Alice”
5. “Certainty”
6. “Hot Air Balloon”
7. “Seven Degrees”
8. “Something Worth Waiting For”
9. “Dear Bicycle”

ALBUM OUT APRIL 24 VIA ATO RECORDS

“Choo Choo” is the second single off Friko’s upcoming sophomore album, Something Worth Waiting For, following the retro-cool lead track “Seven Degrees,” which dropped last month. Recorded in Los Angeles with producer John Congleton, the 9-track LP promises to feature the magic of the meticulously crafted soundscapes of their 2024 debut, expanded through Congleton’s creative lens.

Molded over a two-year period, Something Worth Waiting For finds the band exploring the concepts of movement, progress, and how we define them.

“If the general theme of the record is transit, then the title gets at the idea of always moving toward something you never quite seem to reach,” says Kapetan. “That might sound pessimistic, but maybe the reaching isn’t necessarily the point,” Minzenberger adds. “I think life is meant to bring new experiences so that your world is ever-expanding, and not about constantly striving to achieve one particular thing.”

Something Worth Waiting For is out on April 24 via ATO Records. A list of the band’s upcoming tour dates can be found below. You can find more information about the album by visiting Friko’s official website.

Watch the official music video for “Choo Choo” below: