On February 6th, Swedish ‘bubblegum emo’ band Tribe Friday released their new EP titled The Band Formerly Known As Tribe Friday. This marks their first ‘full’ body of work since their sophomore album Hemma, released in 2023, of which Melomaniacs’ review can be found here. The band, which has faced some line-up changes over the years, wrote and recorded the entire EP together in one room. Tribe Friday currently consists of the two remaining core members, vocalists and guitarists Noah Deutschmann and Isak Gunnarsson, who are now joined by bassist Erik Lyding and drummer David Engquist.
The six-song EP opens with ‘Parasitas’, the band’s first-ever fully Swedish song. Though Tribe Friday has experimented with writing songs half in English and half in Swedish (such as the track ‘201’ from Hemma) before, they’ve never put out a song entirely in their native tongue. That is, except for the song’s title, which is actually Portuguese, since the Swedish word for parasites would be ‘parasiter’. The track opens with catchy guitars and laid-back drums, with Deutschmann opening the first verse a mere twenty seconds in. While the Swedish language lends itself perfectly to the relatively soft start, the song truly kicks off in its first chorus. What makes this song especially interesting is the several Swedish words that cannot be easily translated into other languages, making it feel very unique and truly a product of growing up where the band did. An example is the saying “det är myrornas krig”, which would literally translate to “it’s the war of the ants”, but actually refers to white noise.
Next up is ‘Mammals’, and from here on out, the EP is fully in English. This specific song was written after the band played some shows in Austin, Texas, as mentioned in its first verse. While this first verse is still relatively tame in its instrumentals, the same cannot be said for the lyrics, as they describe quite a bleak outlook on humanity’s “sickly state of being”. Deutschmann’s raw vocals truly add to the feeling this song conveys, especially when in the chorus he sings, “Why say you want tender and tranquil when you crave violence this much?” against the backdrop of heavy guitars. In the second verse, the song also makes room for criticism of the late-stage capitalist world of today, led by fascist governments. The four-minute-long track even includes an instrumental interlude that combines drums and guitar riffs with distant wind instruments that grow louder and louder. It’s a brilliant display of lyricism and emotional impact that might make this one of Tribe Friday’s best songs so far.
Moving on to the third song, ‘Dog with Favorite Toy’, the listener is treated to some acoustic guitar for the first time. This lasts about half the song before the drums finally kick in halfway through the second verse. Deutschmann wrote this song about experiencing derealisation and feeling the need for others to let you know what is real and what isn’t. “Tell me what’s true, and tell me I’m fine,” the singer sings in the song’s chorus. At the same time, however, feeling emotionally dependent is hard in and of itself, as feeling like a burden to others is a very relatable affair. It’s a gut-wrenching, haunting song that serves as the perfect midpoint for this existentialist EP.
Fourth and fifth on the EP are the previously released singles, ‘Teeth (1)’ and ‘Springtime 2160. Speaking of existentialism, and maybe especially existentialist dread, the former talks about growing up and growing older and how weird an experience that is. “Then the race past 25 and past the point of no return for getting better,” Deutschmann sings, “and then I’ll find out about brand new forms of pain.” As if ageing isn’t enough of a daunting process, growing older in the 21st (or 22nd) century might be even worse. In ‘Springtime 2160’, the band presents the listener with a very funky, upbeat song that discusses a gloomy future. In 2160, they imagine how technology will have taken over society even more than it currently already has, as evident from lyrics such as “I clock in 20 & 50 to prompt model birds for the new outdoors”. At the same time, the song also criticises the rise of the far-right, overconsumerism, and AI. The track may sound quite happy, but it is quite the opposite when one thinks that this might be the direction the world is taking. In the final chorus, Deutschmann almost shouts out the irony of it all, with a big “fuck you!” near the end.
Finally, the EP ends with ‘Scenes from a Bridge’, which was inspired by a conversation about death while the band was driving home from tour. At that point, it might have felt like it could have been their last tour, as fatigue forced the band to take a break. The track is very cute and very sad at the same time, and sounds like the soundtrack to a coming-of-age film. It builds up perfectly as it discusses both the beauty found in life and its inevitable end. Growing more desperate as it nears its end, the track makes for a perfect closer on an EP of heartfelt discussions.
The band themselves have described this EP as one “shaped by burnout, reinvention, and the slow work of learning how to move forward”. Now that this new music is finally out, the band is currently on tour to perform both the new and the old songs live once more. With the help of their fans, they made sure their previously broken-down van was ready to take the four-piece across the road again. That’s why musicians do this, after all: to create real human connections, which is so extremely important in the digital age we find ourselves in. Tickets to the shows can be bought here.
Written by: Mandy Huibregtsen
Edited by: Marieke Weeda
