There is a great depth of creative excitement growing out of Chicago’s Hallogallo rock scene, but Friko are undoubtedly the band who are swinging hardest for the fences. Whereas their peers in both Lifeguard, who have cornered the noisier community spaces of the punk underground, and Horsegirl, who revere indie rock with a methodical profoundness culled from ’80s and ’90s inspiration, the four-piece — now solidified by frontman and guitarist Niko Kapetan and co-founding drummer Bailey Minzenberger alongside guitarist Korgan Robb and bassist David Fuller — look a few years later to the Aughts indie rock boom for their own reference points.

There’s an earnestness that resurrects the spirit in full with it on their sophomore outing, Something Worth Waiting For. Produced by John Congleton, who knows the form all too well, the listen is a level-up from the promising scattering of stylistic experiments heard throughout the band’s 2024 debut, Where we’ve been, Where we go from here. Here, they’re honing in on the more anthemic, celebratory odes to coming into your own in life as a young adult — as well as all of the emotional spurts along the way, whether they leave your wrecked and heartbroken, or help you become fully realized in your potential.

In turn, the everyday becomes profound. From chugging along to the grind in keeping a childlike wonder in tact for an escape on “Choo Choo” to just rolling with what’s coming on “Still Around”, Friko at peak energy is affirming when even the muddying on the rose-tinted doesn’t stand in your way. Those listen make for immediate gratification highlights, but where we hear Kapetan and company bloom into their creative bodies most are the the album’s immaculately-structured ballads and mid-tempo detours, with “Alice” climbing through the looking glass and soaring in its own reflection, “Hot Air Balloon” ornating that same sky with the highs of a rock symphony, and “Seven Degrees” gently breezing them back down to ground on a classic pop-psychedelia cloud.

“Bicycle, your rust is showing / What has happened to your bones? You’re dusty now, but have a drink / There’s kids around that want to play / You can’t let them down,” Kapetan bids ado to an old friend on the sprawling, field recordings-diffused coming-of-age eulogy “Dear Bicycle”. The sentiment isn’t lost. If their youth is now in the rear view, Friko do their most to honor its passing with the kind of sincere grandeur that at one point in time defined the sounds of generational optimism. We could all use that reminder these days, too.

Highlights: “Still Around”, “Choo Choo”, “Alice”

Friko’s Something Worth Waiting For is available now on ATO Records.

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