Guest Playlist: Avery Friedman

New Thing is going to be one of our albums of the year, so when we got the chance to get Avery Friedman to do a playlist for us, we took it!

Here’s what Friedman has to say about the playlist: “It’s difficult to measure influence, to identify it, to track it. To name something as direct inspiration can feel a bit like mimicking, and on the flip side, I think things influence us (and our art) in ways too subtle and sneaky to even trace.

“Many of the songs on this playlist are pulled from a playlist of mine called Big Inspo, which I listened to a lot leading up to the recording of New Thing.”

As I revisit these tracks, I see the ways some have influenced my inclination towards a pop melody, others that informed the full, lush arrangements I aimed to emulate, and others whose vivid, obscure lyrics I can only hope to reflect glimmers of in my own music.”

“New Thing is a conduit for emotions too frenetic to hold on your own. This record is a collection of the first songs I’ve ever written, after many years of orbiting the music world but denying myself my own musicianship.”

“Many of these tracks were born of anxiety – from my turning to a guitar to externalize (and organize) a sense of chaos that otherwise felt trapped inside me.”

New Thing was released on the 18^th of April via Audio Antihero can be heard on Apple Music, YouTube Music and Spotify.

The album is available in cassette, digital, and clear sky-blue vinyl formats over on Bandcamp. For all the latest artist news, check out Avery Friedman on Instagram, TikTok, BlueSky, and Facebook.

Header photo by Mamie Heldman