Friends

Driven by percussive grooves and flirtatious vocals, Brooklyn’s Friends find a modern middle ground between post-disco and ‘60s girl group sounds. Fronted by Samantha Urbani and Lesley Hann, the band began as an extension of Urbani’s home recordings. She began sharing them with friends -- among them, future groupmates Matthew Molnar and Nikki Shapiro. A twist of city-living fate (bedbugs) led to Hann and friend Oliver Duncan staying at Urbani’s place for a spell, and within a week of sharing her demos with the pair, the band was born. Friends quickly ranked in the NME’s Best New Bands list and signed to Lucky Number, where they released two singles and, in June of 2012, their full-length debut Manifest! ~ Chrysta Cherrie