If there were any qualifications to being a multi-hyphenate, producer/singer-songwriter DEBBY FRIDAY would fit the bill. Born in Nigeria and raised in Canada, she began as a DJ in the Montreal club scene before shortly leaving in hopes of other endeavors. One of those endeavors was her own music, something she’s using to pave a new path on her debut album and accompanying short film, GOOD LUCK. Varied in taste, the album reflects much of what makes Debby Friday an exciting artist to follow. Not exactly hip-hop, not exactly electronic, not exactly anything. But there’s something here for everyone to enjoy, even if it’s using her music to blast your speakers.
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Aside from being a musician, Friday runs a blog for her writing and hosts a podcast on astrology. In other words, she keeps busy, and opener, “GOOD LUCK,” embodies that notion. At first, the BPM moves like a slow-motion catwalk before gradually building into Friday’s bionic vocals and a frantic bounce beat. But Friday’s increasingly sinister voice is what strikes out, matching the growing intensity of the track.
Similarly, “SO HARD TO TELL” and “HEARTBREAKERRR” bends her voice at will without losing the self-assured confidence she exudes throughout the album. The latter track, in particular, uses the vocals as another texture to the production, placing it alongside bubblegum bleeps and bloops before landslides of glitches and indescribable sonic interruptions crash into the beat.
The best song is, undoubtedly, “I GOT IT.” Featuring Uñas, who spotlights their own talent by spitting Spanish over the house beat, Debby Friday seems to have scientifically prepared the track for club usage only. With the production at the bleeding edge, the gothic arpeggios give the track breaths of life or rather grasps for air. If the album were a hyperpop carnival, “I GOT IT” is the funhouse mirror of glossy textures and reflecting electronic pulses.
Much like her music ventures, Debby Friday has also studied a variety of subjects at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. But no matter the field, expression is a constantly evolving form of experimentation.
Though GOOD LUCK is a dip in new waters, Debby Friday approaches it with so much conviction in what she wants out of the music. At the very least, her skilled flirtation for the experimental sounds better than most artists with already developed sounds.
Words: David Sosa
GOOD LUCK by DEBBY FRIDAY is out on all streaming services. Los Angeles will have a chance to catch her live when she plays Zebulon on April 14. For more tour dates to her upcoming shows, you can get tickets here. Follow Debby Friday on Instagram and Bandcamp for future news on tours and music.
