Toronto band Frigs love the sound of early Sonic Youth. Drawing this conclusion is inevitable from a cursory listen to the first couple of tracks of their debut album Basic Behaviour, just out. The way the guitars clang and chime. The way Bria Salmena's vocals communicate endless unease and anxiety, of living in a fallen world. The way the glass is always half empty, something awful is always about to happen and we're immersed in the sense of endless night.
Although the band's influences are immediately and transparently evident, PJ Harvey and Siouxsie feel like they're making guest appearances on later tracks, Basic Behaviour has much to recommend it. The band conjure up a powerful backdrop for Salmena to work within, while she makes a compelling argument for the suffocating experience of modern urban existence, without ever letting drop an indication that it may be getting any easier of better any time soon.
There's an obvious appeal and considerable audience for this kind of art. This has been evident since the Banshees put out The Scream in 1978. Frigs don't really add anything to the body of work that has come out since which has followed its lead into darkness. They do work well within its traditions though, and Basic Behaviour is a record I'll surely come back to, as on first listening I get the strong impression that it offers incremental rewards.
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