motel void

A few years ago, I fell deep into the Lil Peep rabbit hole, which led me to explore the trap genre more extensively. Compared to most of the music I discovered along the way, the new album Demo(n)s by Freidrich$ (produced by Zephyr) isn’t as raw or unpolished (as I usually like), but it’s definitely worth a listen.

Right from the opening track, Real Bollywood, it’s clear that the lyrics are straightforward, and the atmosphere is carefully crafted rather than chaotic. This pattern continues with Alissa With An I, a darker track that transitions into Blood. Here, Freidrich$ leans into poppier, more infectious melodies, and in the final minute, the song takes on a distinctly synth-pop feel, with a sound ‘pop’ enough for commercial radio.

All You Are (Is The Taiga) stands out with a chilled, laid-back vibe, driven by a fantastic guitar line that lands somewhere between Mac DeMarco and John Frusciante. The lyrics are packed with references ranging from Smashing Pumpkins to Drake.

My two personal favorites from the album are Best Fwiends and Joey Ramone. Best Fwiends continues in the same mellow, dreamy atmosphere, enhanced by a more colorful production and the unexpected addition of a trumpet (I believe).

Joey Ramone, the album’s biggest anthem, starts off almost like an indie-pop song. If an acoustic guitar were introduced, it could easily be something out of The Decemberists’ playbook. But then comes the line about sniffing glue, pulling it right back into grittier territory. The choruses feature Freidrich$ shouting, but I personally gravitate more toward the calmer moments, where his vocals feel more intimate. The line “We can listen to Sleater-Kinney” made me smile—Sleater-Kinney, like Neutral Milk Hotel, has always been one of my all-time favorite bands, and it’s refreshing to hear their name dropped in an entirely different musical context. The song itself is irresistibly catchy.

The second-to-last song on the album is Washing Machine, a track that immediately piqued my curiosity. With all the references sprinkled throughout Demo(n)s, I wondered whether this was a nod to Sonic Youth’s Washing Machine—which happens to be my favorite SY’s album. And it was. The nostalgic atmosphere hit me hard, bringing back memories of being fifteen and listening to that album on repeat, especially Diamond Sea and Little Trouble Girl.

Lyrically, the album remains direct and unfiltered throughout. While I usually prefer more cryptic, introspective writing, I find myself enjoying this kind of raw honesty within the trap genre. Demo(n)s doesn’t hide behind metaphor—it lays everything out in the open, and that’s precisely what makes it resonate.

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Photo: Ernad Ihtijarević