SXSW 2024 Special | Friedberg talks SXSW experience, new music and much more!

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On Day 5 of SXSW, we talked with Anna, Emily, and Cheryl of Friedberg to discuss their SXSW experience, their newly released music video, new music, and much more!

Exhausted from the night before, we headed down to the Austin Convention Center bright and early, on Friday March 15th to hold our first interview of the day with London-based group, Friedberg. After taking a Lime scooter and arriving right on time at 11:30 AM, we met up with the three members and held a fun conversation that set the perfect tone for the rest of the day.

Catalina: Welcome back to Austin! I know you were here supporting Hot Chip in 2022; how’s your SXSW going?

Anna: So good, lots of fun. We had a few shows yesterday; Jam in the Van, we explored the city. We saw some other great bands.

Emily: We went to the British music embassy a couple of times and seen some really cool bands there.

Anna: And Stubbs. When we played with Hot Chip two years ago, we went there.

Emily: Yeah, we went back for like, nostalgic purposes. And then it just turned out– I think it was DAWA, the organization that was putting that on, and it was amazing. Like, stuff I’d never even heard before. It was amazing.

Catalina: What are some of your favorite bands that you’ve seen so far?

Emily: I really liked Porij; we saw them at the British Music Embassy and they were really cool. There was just a girl that was at Stubbs—actually was Maya Sampleton. Her voice was amazing, and like her whole band were like all over it; they were so good. And then there was another band but I can’t remember the name.

Anna: Me neither.

Emily: The three guys.

Anna: The three guys?

Emily: The three guys who are from Colombia. But what they played–there was like indie guitar and everything, but with a traditional kind of influence. It was so cool.

Anna: I saw so many but I forgot the names, which is annoying; my brain is fried. Because there was a really cool better British music embassy after Porij upstairs at the small b stage.

Emily: Oh! Shelf Lives!!

Catalina: Yeah! We interviewed them a few days ago! Their set was great!

Anna: Yeah, they blew the speaker (laughs).

Catalina: Yes, they did (laughs).

Anna: Were you there as well?

Catalina: Yes we were!

Anna: I hope they’re gonna fix it again before we play there tomorrow (laughs).

Catalina: How was your show yesterday at The Amarillo Den; the Jam in the Van?

Anna: Yeah, super fun. We did a podcast, we did a show, which was super fun. And then we did another Jam in the Van session with three songs.

Anna: Yeah, it was great!

Cheryl: Yeah, full-on, but very good.

Emily: I mean, I had an amazing time because there was so many dogs there. Because it outdoors, I was like literally living my absolute best life (laughs). Yeah, it was really good gig, everyone was like super supportive.

Listen/watch ‘Hello’ here:

Catalina: What are you looking forward to with your other shows?

Anna: Packed rooms and lots of sweat.

Cheryl: Yeah, to have a dance with Austin.

Anna: Crowd surfing maybe.

Emily: We play at 1 AM today so we got the party slot; I’m hoping people are gonna be up for it.

Catalina: You just released your new single “Hello” on March 1st, what was the inspiration behind it?

Anna: So I spent the night in the mind of a stranger and saw the world through his eyes. And so different views, different fears, [a] holiday from my own mind was great. It was amazing. I can only highly recommend it if you need a holiday from your own thoughts; just slip into the mind of someone else.

Catalina: Okay… yeah (all laugh). So you just released the music video [for “Hello”] yesterday [Thursday, March 14th]. Did have a certain vision for the video, or did you work with Talia [Beale] to come up with it?

Anna: So yeah, Talia came up with the idea of my head being stuck in a wall for the whole song and me reciting the lyrics from a hole in the wall. And then we met up because I was immediately like, “Okay, she has to be the director for this video, she totally gets the vibe.” And then we came up with all these ideas like a leaf blower who blows our hair while we’re performing, and what else?

Cheryl: We were stuck to the wall.

Anna: Yeah we were taped to the wall— so we were on the same wavelength I think, and yeah, she’s amazing and I think she did a really good job.

Cheryl: It was a bit trippy.

Catalina: Yeah, it was! I saw it I believe either yesterday or this morning and it was a great video!

Anna, Emily & Cheryl: Thank you.

Catalina: What can you tell me about your new album out in August?

Emily: Bangers only (all laugh).

Anna: Bangers only yeah (laughs), what can we say about that?

Cheryl: I mean, if you want to hear a little taste then maybe come down to some of the shows, because we’re gonna give some previews of what’s coming.

Anna: Yeah, that’s true, we’re going to play some unreleased songs.

Cheryl: And yeah bangers only, like, we want to dance, we’re here to dance you know (all laugh).

Emily: I’m really excited, there’s a couple of songs that like—when Anna sent us kind of the demos for them—literally from when you sent them I was like, “I cannot wait to play these songs because the vibe is just so good.” There’s actually loads of singles.

Anna: Too many singles.

Emily: Yeah, I’m stoked.

Anna: Just kidding (laughs) but it would have been a good album title, “Too many singles.” Could also be like, too many single people.

Anna, Emily & Cheryl: Yeah (all laugh).

Catalina: How does your songwriting process usually go?

Anna: I either write on my own, which is so boring. I find it quite boring. It’s because I can’t make decisions that I have like five verses and 10 choruses. And I’m like, I don’t know if it’s like 10 songs or is it one song? And then so I like to go to the studio with a blank mind completely nothing and then just come up with something on the spot with someone else in the room who immediately gives you feedback, because otherwise I can’t make decisions. So it’s cool to bounce back ideas in the studio and just go there completely blank especially also with a stranger that you haven’t met before. I like to write with someone that I’ve never met before. I think that’s quite cool.

Catalina Perez: How does the new album coming out compared to your 2022 EP, “Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah.”

Cheryl: Well done by the way (all laugh).

Anna, Emily & Cheryl: Wait, how does it compare?

Catalina: Or contrast.

Emily: There’s like a lot more synth driven stuff I think. A lot more like happy, good time vibes, I would say–to me like— I don’t know if we can say like—

Anna: No (laughs).

Emily: My favorite, that you know is my favorite (looks at Anna) umm yeah—

Anna & Emily: I don’t know.

Anna: Yeah I feel like I can’t think of the word. I feel like there’s also—

Emily: There’s also some chill ones throughout

Anna: Yes some chill ones but kind of they stay in the same bar, but it’s kind of nice. I don’t know how to—

Cheryl: It’s chill but still moody and upbeat though. So like you can have a good time and like dream away, but also have fun.

Anna: Yeah!!

Cheryl: That’s a good way of putting it.

Cheryl: So the trip kind of continues. Trippy TBC, you know, like (all laugh).

Anna: Maybe more trippy even.

Cheryl: Exactly.

Catalina: Can’t wait to hear it! So, what’s Friedberg’s message to the world?

Cheryl: Oh man, peace and love.

Anna: More cowbell (all laugh).

Cheryl: More cowbell, peace, and love honestly.

Anna: More cowbell, no. Maybe peace and love and cowbell.

Emily: Peace and love and cowbell.

Anna: Maybe that’s a better order.

Cheryl: Yeah, definitely put the cowbell last (laughs).

Catalina: Why music?

Anna: Why music?

Cheryl: Good question.

Emily: Why music? What do you mean like—

Cheryl: Why music like in general.

Anna: Why music?

Cheryl: Yeah… We need more peace and love (laughs) we’re going to sound like hippies.

Emily: We need more peace and love and we need it for whatever mood you’re in—there is always music to support whatever stage of life you’re in, or whatever you’re feeling. And sometimes, you know, for me, I think like with music, you feel seen, whatever type of music you’re into, whatever band you’re into, like, you feel seen and heard.

Cheryl: We live like in weird times right now. So I think the best thing, you know, like that I can do—that we can do—is to give people a break and like maybe a good time, you know if they like it or not. That’s, you know, that’s like, personal taste, I guess in terms of music, but I think that’s why it matters. In lockdown—can you imagine lockdown without any music?

Emily: Yeah, exactly. Music is the connection that we’ve started to fall out of I think as a—

Cheryl: Just make people feel good.

Anna: It’s the most immediate form of art. I think music and

Cheryl: Expression, even self expression. If you sing along to the song, you know, like and you really feel it you just instantly feel better. Yeah, that’s enough reason I think to keep on going (all laugh).

Emily: You went, “Question,” we went, “Here’s a degree paper” (all laugh).

Catalina: Thank you guys for stopping here today! We appreciate you taking the time out of your day to talk to us!

Anna, Emily & Cheryl: Thanks so much for having us.

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