Friko Release New Single “Necessary,” Announce Expanded Edition of 'Something Worth Waiting For', Out Sept. 11

Friko Release New Single “Necessary,” Announce Expanded Edition of Sophomore Album,  Something Worth Waiting For,  Featuring Four New B-Side Tracks and Two Demos, Out Digitally September 11th via ATO Records Headline Tour Through UK, Europe & North America This Summer/Fall; Shows in London (Aug 24), Los Angeles (Sept 20), New York (Oct 23)

"Friko makes thoughtfully composed, unabashedly impassioned indie rock that wears its bleeding heart on its sleeve." — The New York Times "Something Worth Waiting For lives up to its title. The album levels up from Friko's promising debut, ramping up the howl-along catchiness and explosive dynamics as Kapetan wails with the fervor of Y2K-era favorites.” - Stereogum, 50 Best Albums of 2026 So Far "I think that's fair to say, objectively, that [Seven Degrees] is one of the best songs of the year" – NPR Music, The year’s best songs (so far) “Where we’ve been, Where we go from here is still the best rock debut of this decade. Its well-titled follow-up, Something Worth Waiting For, is tightly-wound perfection fine-tuned by John Congleton.” - Paste, 50 Best Albums of 2026 So Far “They are one of the most exciting young bands, and their acclaimed new album is one of our favorites of the year. Their songs live comfortably in both explosive and fragile worlds, with a tendency to dissolve into somber introspection before exploding into cinematic swells and bombastic harmonies.” - KCRW “A soundtrack for getting through the messy parts. but figuring things out until it finally starts to make sense.” - Rough Trade, Albums of The Year So Far

Friko—the Chicago based band of vocalist/guitarist Niko Kapetan, drummer Bailey Minzenberger, guitarist Korgan Robb, and bassist David Fuller—announce an Expanded Edition of their sophomore album ‘Something Worth Waiting For,’ out September 11th, 2026 via ATO Records. The original album landed in Most Anticipated of 2026 lists from Pitchfork and The New York Times and on Best of The Year So Far lists from NPR Music, Stereogum, Consequence, Paste, Rough Trade, Exclaim, and more. The digital-only Expanded Edition will feature 4 brand new songs, recorded with producer John Congleton during the aforementioned album sessions, and 2 demos for standout single “Seven Degrees” and the title-track “Something Worth Waiting For.”  Today, the group releases “Necessary,” a live-wire track that boasts the raucous energy that has enraptured crowds on Friko’s multi-continent-spanning tour: Kapetan explains, "This was actually the first new song we ever played live as a four piece. An ode to imposter syndrome and trying to convince yourself out of that feeling." The band recently recorded a performance for KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic where they played crowd favorites “Choo Choo,” “Still Around,” “Seven Degrees,” “Alice,” and “Certainty.” Watch here. After a successful run in Asia where Friko performed to thousands at Japan’s Fuji Rock festival and sold out all three of their China dates, the band is currently hitting the European festival circuit including appearances at Haldern Pop, AFF, Ypsigrock, Paredes De Coura, La Route Du Rock, Green Man, Pstereo, Into The Great Wide Open, and more. They will support Nation of Language across the UK, headline a show at London’s Moth Club (Aug. 17th) and perform an in-store at Rough Trade East (Aug. 24th). Following, they will embark on a massive headline tour across North America this fall concluding with their first appearance at Corona Capital and a hometown victory lap at The Salt Shed. Tickets are now on sale and available here.    Stream “Necessary” Pre-order/pre-save Something Worth Waiting For Expanded Edition With Something Worth Waiting For, Friko mined inspiration from their endless state of motion over the past two years, arriving at a body of work that speaks to a more existential form of movement. Recorded with producer John Congleton (a Grammy Award-winner known for his work with St. Vincent, Mannequin Pussy, Mogwai, and more) at his studio in Los Angeles, Something Worth Waiting For bears a heightened urgency that Friko partly attribute to a profound shift in their production process. And with the addition of Robb and Fuller to Friko’s lineup, Kapetan and Minzenberger found an ideal match for their viscerally attuned yet voraciously creative sensibilities. In the making of their sophomore full-length, the band gained a powerful new clarity on their purpose and vision while embracing an even bolder sense of abandon, exploring everything from noise-rock to avant-garde classical to ’70s-era symphonic balladry. Equal parts sonically extravagant and emotionally searing, Something Worth Waiting For ultimately locates a wildly elusive balance between the wide-eyed idealism of youth and the self-possessed grit of lived experience.

Something Worth Waiting For (Expanded Edition) Tracklisting 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 10. Necessary 11. Dirty Diamond 12. Look At Ya Now 13. Rock Song 14. Seven Degrees (Demo) 15. Something Worth Waiting For (Demo)   Pre-order/pre-save Something Worth Waiting For Expanded Edition

Friko Tour Dates: Sat. Aug. 15 – St. Malo, FR @ La Route du Rock Mon. Aug. 17 - London, UK @ Moth Club Wed. Aug. 19 – London, UK @ Village Underground (w/ Nation of Language) Thu. Aug. 20 - South Wales, UK @ Green Man Festival Sat. Aug. 22 – Trondheim, NO @ PSTEREO Sun. Aug. 23 – Liverpool, UK @ Camp and Furnace (w/ Nation of Language) Mon. Aug. 24 - London, UK @ Rough Trade East Tue. Aug. 25 – Leeds, UK @ Irish Centre (w/ Nation of Language) Wed. Aug. 26 – Bristol, UK @ Electric Bristol (w/ Nation of Language) Fri. Aug. 28 - Vlieland, NL @ Into The Great Wide Open Sat. Aug. 29 – The Hague, NL @ Paard van Stal Tue. Sep. 8 - St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway Thu. Sep. 10 - Houston, TX @ Womh - Upstairs Fri. Sep. 11 - Austin, TX @ Mohawk Sat. Sep. 12 - Dallas, TX @ Rubber Gloves Patio Mon. Sep. 14 - Denver, CO @ Marquis Wed. Sep. 16 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court Fri. Sep. 18 - Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar Sat. Sep. 19 - San Diego, CA @ Casbah Sun. Sep. 20 - Los Angeles, CA @ Sid The Cat Auditorium Mon. Sep. 21 - San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop Thu. Sep. 24 - Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall Fri. Sep. 25 - Seattle, WA @ Baba Yaga Sat. Sep. 26 - Vancouver, BC @ Fox Cabaret Wed. Sep. 30 - Morrison, CA @ Red Rocks (w/ Back Seat Lovers) Thu. Oct. 15 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line (venue upgrade) Fri. Oct. 16 - Milwaukee, WI @ Vivarium Sat. Oct. 17 - Detroit, MI @ The Loving Touch Mon. Oct. 19 - Toronto, ON @ The Great Hall Tue. Oct. 20 - Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz Thu. Oct. 22 - Boston, MA @ The Sinclair Fri. Oct. 23 - New York, NY @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg Sat. Oct. 24 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Foundry Mon. Oct. 26 - Washington, DC @ Atlantis Tue. Oct. 27 - Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall Wed. Oct. 28 - Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West Fri. Oct. 30 - Nashville, TN @ The Blue Room Sat. Oct. 31 - Columbus, OH @ A&R Music Bar Fri. Nov. 20 - Mexico City, MX @ Corona Capital Festival Sat. Dec. 19 - Chicago, IL @ Salt Shed (w/ Ratboys)