Gothenburg-based Internet Friends bounce into the fold on their twisted new single “Rice Krispies” — the latest release from Swedish boutique label Icons Creating Evil Art (Baby Strange, Lazy Queen).
Kicking off with distorted electronics, “Rice Krispies'' reveals itself to be dark and subversive from the get-go. Outlandish lyrics like “Rice Krispies in the morning, nice tripsies all night” and “snap neck, crack smoke, pop your eyesies'' are delivered in Sprechgesang-like patter as the track thunders through bass-heavy impenetrable riffs. “Rice Krispies'' is just a taste of the ferocious new work from Internet Friends.
Last year, Fredrik Soila, Jakob Falkendal and Noel Hassling-Offrell as Internet Friends, released the “Nosebleeds” EP - the follow up to their debut EP “Yawn Yawn Yawn”. Described as "a fusion between alternative indie rock and punk pop", “Nosebleeds” built on the energy established on their pop-leaning debut. Today, they are almost unrecognisable as they give two fingers to those who made them feel unwelcome and de-prioritised in their formative years. The sunny disposition has been swapped with one of attitude, spit and discontent.
Feeling exiled by the Swedish music scene, Internet Friends began to play up the idea of professional martyrdom and developed a core audience by relentless hard work and frequent, balls-to-wall live shows. “A gig should be 60 minutes without a break, with up-tempo songs and a maximum of one ballad. We want to reach out and have a party, not give people more anxiety.”
Jakob Falkendal explains: “The core of the band is that we really want to make a big impression as a live band, to be the band we ourselves wanted to see. What is missing in Swedish music today is bands and artists with damn clear intentions. The point of playing is to entertain and offer people a free zone. I think the core is that we are not on stage for our sake, but for the sake of the audience. Because we have to give it to people. The music scene of today is poor in nutrition.”
Sink your teeth into Internet Friends now. You’ll only get hungry later.
Rice Krispies is released may 19 via Icons Creating Evil Art.