Friko, have released “Choo Choo,” the latest single/video off their forthcoming album, Something Worth Waiting For, available April 24th via ATO Records. The band includes Chicago natives vocalist/guitarist Niko Kapetan, drummer Bailey Minzenberger, guitarist Korgan Robb, and bassist David Fuller.

Something Worth Waiting For was Produced by John Congleton (St. Vincent, Mannequin Pussy, Mogwai, Angel Olsen) and recorded at his Los Angeles studio.

Friko shed light on the strangeness of the vagabond life. “I’ve always had a thing with the magic of trains, and when I was writing that song I started singing “choo choo” and it made me laugh,” Kapetan recalls. “It always feels good to play live, with all the slowdowns and speed-ups, but it’s also a very emotional homage to the band and how they feel like home to me.”

“There’s nothing light-hearted about trains,” continues Kapetan. “They have moved us for hundreds of years, and probably will for hundreds more. Heavy, chugging things that carry far more human weight than any of us could ever bear. Life reveals itself in a seat by the window, watching carousels go by.” The accompanying video, directed by Anastasiya “Stas” Slyvka, was filmed on Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).

As they assembled songs for the new album, they mined inspiration from their constant activity over the past two years, arriving at a body of work that speaks to a more existential form of movement. “If the general theme of the record is transit, then the title gets at the idea of always moving toward something you never quite seem to reach,” says Kapetan. “That might sound pessimistic, but maybe the reaching isn’t necessarily the point,” Minzenberger adds. “I think life is meant to bring new experiences so that your world is ever-expanding, and not about constantly striving to achieve one particular thing.”

Friko 2026 Tour Dates:

Sat. April 25 – Chicago, IL @ Metro [Release Show]
Thu. May 5 – Philadelphia, PA @ WXPN NON-COMMvention
Sun. July 26 – Tokyo, JP @ Fuji Rock Festival
Thu. Aug. 6 – Haldern-Rees, DE @ Haldern Pop Festival
Sat. Aug. 8 – Sicily, IT @ Ypsigrock Festival
Wed. Aug. 12–Sat. Aug. 15 – Parades De Coura, PT @ Parades De Coura Festival

Pre-order Something Worth Waiting For by Friko HERE