An Interview with Frida Kill
If you are not too familiar with Frida Kill, then now is absolutely the time, as the band has recently dropped a full album, and this record hits all the gritty fun that you can possibly imagine.
The album hits everything from classic Riot-Rock to grunge, alternative rock, garage, and some more fun in between. This is a record that doesn't really hold back and gives you inventive blends of semi-theatrical and colorful approaches with gritty, dirty, grungy tones, and that combination is perfected here.
The record is called City Gurl, and this release certainly gets going with a bang.
You have plenty of punk rock tonalities running through the veins of this album, but they do it uniquely so that they're blending fuzz tones in with classic Punk songwriting, and again not forgetting about some of the great riot rock bands of the '80s and '90s.
You can hear bands like L7 or Bikini Kill throughout this release and as a person who still has a lot of those CDs and grew up listening to them, this band absolutely nails that feel.
Of course, these girls bring something fresh to the table because each one of them takes some different influence from other places, and that is why this record.
This was intensely fun, and the guitar tones are such a unique balance of again, that sort of gritty and dirty tonality that balance is a fuzziness with a heavier distortion, and layering the guitars and the bass guitar so that things feel really thick at times even though they thrash.
So, while things are thrashing out, you still have a flare, color, flavor, and attitude throughout the entire thing.
Tracks like 'Burn it Down" exemplify this pretty damn perfectly.
Others, like one of my favorites and just so happens to be the final track on the record, called "Queen of The Thrill", hit that classic grungy Riot-Rock tone effortlessly.
This was uproarious, vivacious, slightly vicious, loads of fun, and the whole vocal approach to the entire thing is oozing with character.
Seeing that we were fans of the band already and had had the opportunity to review a single off this record when it was released, this time around, we wanted to actually ask them some questions about this full album.
I had to know where it came from and if I am even close to Being correct about their influences musically.
So, let's find out.
While you take a listen to this album, which is what you should be doing right now at this point, make sure you take a read through of the interview below.
TSWS: Hello and thanks for taking some time!! I'd love to start off with the City Gurl record! This was super fun, edgy, and heavy at times!
Where did this record come from?
The recording process for this record actually started shortly before our first album Kill! Kill! was released. The 10 songs on City Gurl were recorded over something like 16 months.
Taking so much time provided an opportunity to think about all the elements of the songs in a different way. We tried a lot of stuff. We scrapped a lot of stuff. If something wasn’t working we’d try something else. During the making of City Gurl a lot of life happened—the obvious stuff like touring and playing to audiences outside of New York—but also things in our personal lives. All of that bleeds into the sound of the record and the lyrics of the songs.
Overall, this collection of songs are more vulnerable. This record is being very honest about what we go through and just feeling what we’re feeling good or bad. We think these stories really tap into the human experience for any generation.
TSWS: How did this all start for you as a band?
Maria Lina and Lily started the band in early 2019 after playing together in a Roky Erickson cover set the prior Halloween. Six months into starting to play live, the pandemic hit — forcing us to slow way down.
TSWS: I'm hearing some great approaches on this release! Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
Everyone in the band has distinct tastes and styles and just like on the first record, City Gurl reflects those. Generally speaking though we are all influenced by groups like L7, Bikini Kill, The Breeders Sonic Youth, The Slits and The Plasmatics.
TSWS: Did you record this at a home studio, or did you hit a bigger spot for this release?
City Gurl was recorded with Travis Harrison at Serious Business Records in Dumbo, Brooklyn — the same spot where we recorded the tracks from our first album.
TSWS: Now that this is out, are you planning any shows or a tour in support of the release?
We’re hitting the road shortly after the release show at Main Drag Music on 11/09. Playing shows in Arizona, Nevada and Southern California.
TSWS: Do you all write together, or is there one main songwriter who comes to the rest of the band with ideas or songs?
The band has three songwriters and the writing process and ideation process varies depending on whose brain the song is coming from. The whole band experiments together and shapes the sound. Lily writes most of the instrumental parts, but it’s very conversational and the songs slowly evolve over time – sometimes even after they’ve been recorded and released. Sometimes songs even jump entire genres before finding the right vibe to support what we’re trying to say or do with it. I think Every Way is a good example of that, it was written and rewritten three times before finally landing on a record.
TSWS: Who is in all your headphones right now?
Some Atlanta bands (SMALL & Upchuck) and Snõõper! - Gaby
The OBGMs 2024 album SORRY, IT’S OVER has been on heavy rotation since it came out last year. Been cycling through lots of Bob Vylan, Lambrini Girls, Die Spitz, Teen Mortgage, Mannequin Pussy and The Bobby Lees too. - Jeanette
While writing these songs my heavy rotation included a lot of Metric, Men I Trust, New Order, Japanese Breakfast, Nilüfer Yanya, Crumb, Fontaines DC, IDLES, St Vincent, Mannequin Pussy, Lizzy Mercier Descloux, Stereolab, and Dry Cleaning, off the top of my head. -Lily
TSWS: What would you say people can expect from this record?
People can expect to be delighted! We’ve gotten really good feedback on the lead singles “City Gurl”, “Therapy” and “The Crowd” and we can’t wait for you to hear the rest of these tracks. We are really proud of these songs. We hope you like them.
TSWS: Now that this is out, what’s next for you as a band?
There’s more tour plans for the spring in the works — and some east coast festivals that we can’t quite announce yet.
TSWS: Before we go, what would you like to express to fans of the music?
Music is for everyone. If you don’t see people who look like you, act like you, think like you, or are treated like you by others up on stage, take that as your cue to join us up there. There’s a place for everyone, whether you’re shy and introspective hiding behind your instrument or you feel like you’ll die without a spotlight shining on you, whether you hear the music in your head and compose it all yourself or let songs coalesce through sharing in the process, whether you have everything or nothing, someone will be moved by your work. Everything fades, feelings echo, nothing carries feelings better than music.