Avery Friedman’s New Thing is a raw, reflective debut born from chaos and catharsis
Brooklyn-based artist Avery Friedman has released her debut album New Thing, a deeply personal collection that officially arrives April 18 via Audio Antihero in vinyl, cassette, and digital formats.
Produced by: James Chrisman
Featuring members of Florist, Sister., CIAO MALZ, and Told Slant, New Thing is a layered and emotionally expansive LP born from a pivotal year in Friedman’s life. The album showcases Friedman’s first-ever songs—written after years of resisting her own creative urges despite always being close to music. Catalyzed by life-altering experiences and an impromptu performance around a campfire in 2023, Friedman’s anxious, cathartic songwriting found support in collaborators James Chrisman and Felix Walworth, who helped her realize the vision in full.
The album balances a raw vulnerability with the warmth of live instrumentation, capturing Friedman’s journey through trauma, queerness, fear, and self-discovery. Tracks like the lead single ‘Flowers Fell’ highlight this transformation with seasonal metaphors and sharp emotional contrasts, using guitar tension and blooming choruses to convey growth through adversity. Throughout New Thing, Friedman’s inexperience as a performer becomes an asset, opening space for genuine exploration and improvisation that echoes influences like Adrianne Lenker and Babehoven.
She says of the album:
“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. We recorded the bulk of it with a live band as a means to maintain the raw energy at the center of the record. What results is a time capsule for a year of intense personal expansion in my life—and the layers of warmth, wonder, sensitivity, and sharpness that come with growing.
With New Thing, Avery Friedman has not only claimed her space as a songwriter but delivered a debut that pulses with sincerity, tension, and grace. It’s a striking first step from an artist finally allowing herself to be heard.
Standout Songs: ‘New Thing,’ ‘Flowers Fell,’ ‘Finger Painting,’ and ‘Nervous.’
Release Date: April 18, 2025
7.4
We’ve covered Avery Friedman previously: ‘New Thing‘, ‘Photo Booth‘, and ‘Flowers Fell.’
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