Suggested Friends

Blending sweet melodic indie pop with defiant punk and '90s fuzz, Suggested Friends rose through London's underground in the late 2010s. Deeply rooted in queer identity and striking a subtle balance between humor and tenderness, they earned a hardcore fan base with their self-titled 2017 debut and 2019 follow-up, Turtle Taxi. The group was formed in 2015 by Faith Taylor (vocals, guitar) and Christabel Williams (drums), with guitarist Jack McGinn and bassist Emma Kupa joining not long afterward. From the start, Suggested Friends embraced the ethos of both the queer community and the D.I.Y. punk scene, developing a sound that was playful, quirky, and warmly inviting. A handful of self-released singles led up to the 2017 release of their eponymous debut on Welsh indie Odd Box Records. With a handful of U.K. tours under their belts, Suggested Friends made their first trip to the U.S. in 2018 to play at Athens Popfest in Georgia before signing with Fika Recordings. Their sophomore album, Turtle Taxi, appeared in October 2019, boasting an overall richer sound full of big harmonic choruses, keyboard flourishes, and a more varied structure. ~ Timothy Monger