By – Kristi Houk

Recommended if you like: Blur, The Strokes, The Libertines

Internet Friends is a trio from Gothenberg—the second largest city in Sweden. Dressed to Kill is their first album on the label, Icons Creating Evil Art and it’s a refreshing debut. It may just prove to be the summer record you didn’t know you needed. Cheeky in all the right ways, the song titles alone “Musicians Kill Themselves,” “You + Your Friends SUCK,” and “Rice Krispies” conjure the clever Brit Pop bands of the early 90’s like Blur, Supergrass, and The Libertines. 

Musically, Internet Friends aren’t reinventing the wheel, but they don’t need to. They are young, hungry disillusioned and a tad spiteful.  Everything you want your rock and roll to be. Drummer Jakob Falkendal said it best: A gig should be 60 minutes without a break, with up-tempo songs and a maximum of one ballad. We want to reach out and have a party, not give people more anxiety.”

Lyrically, there’s a good deal of self-deprecation that comes from too much partying the night before. On the Weezer-esque “Smileys” vocalist Fredrik Soila slurs: “Cuz lately I’ve been really trying/waking up and not being dead.” Spoken like a true rock star.  Speaking of dying, the trippy “Musicians Kill Themselves” clarity seeps in: “Everybody wants somebody on their mind/Everyone just wants someone to waste their time.” Could this be a LOVE song? It’s ok. I won’t tell. 

“Dressed to Kill” is fun, it rocks and it’s worth the hangover. Keep your eye on this band. They’re gonna be huge.     

Stand Out Tracks: “Dressed to Kill”, “Doing Time”, “Rice Krispies”