After releasing singles “I’m His Girl” and “Friend Crush” last year, Brooklyn, NY’s Friends garnered massive attention- their jangly 90’s-inspired pop and self-directed lo-fi videos began appearing just about everywhere. It’s no surprise anymore when a band is able to earn a recording contract after releasing less than a handful of singles (think: Cults) but it’s still striking to see just how high they can climb on those things alone. Within a year Friends went from playing cramped house shows to sold out festivals and now they’ve released their first full-length, Manifest!, on the esteemed Fat Possum label.
Part of Friends’ allure is their easygoing, laid-back approach to songwriting. It’s clear this isn’t a group hoping to reinvent the wheel, but rather to draw inspiration from various genres of music and create songs they’d wish other bands were making. Listening to Manifest! you’re likely to hear influences from garage rock to funk to R&B. The infectious “Sorry” begins with a light, breezy beat before giving way to tribal-esque chants. “Ideas on Ghosts” is a shimmery, post-disco number. The variety of sounds you’ll hear on Manifest! allow the album to fit an array of moods and appeal to a diverse group of people. However, songs like “Ruins” and “Ideas on Ghosts” can also feel unfocused and forgettable.
The other part of Friends’ allure is undoubtedly lead singer Samantha Urbani, a front woman who exudes sex appeal and style. Urbani—part Mariah Carey, part Karen O—is also the main songwriter for the group. She shines brightest when discussing the complexities of relationships and, at times, offering her very best advice. On the drum heavy break-up anthem “Home,” Urbani sounds self-assured and confident when she sings, “you can’t just come in the night and expect me to do the things I used to.”
“Proud Ashamed,” with driving percussion and soaring vocals, is followed by an almost Caribbean-inspired, subtle number called “Still Dreaming” that has Urbani asking, “Will we still need each other like this for always?” The tracks highly compliment one another and seem slightly out of place on the rest of the album, but contained within them is a moment when Friends truly hit their stride.
When a band has accrued a following as large as Friends has before ever releasing a full-length album, it’s bound to have a polarizing effect. Some will adore Manifest! because it shows that Friends have great potential and can do more than release a solid single. Those who are disappointed will simply hear disjoint and muddle in the album’s 12 songs. Manifest! is nothing if not proof of a group working hard to explore their sound and find their way.
