Friend of a Friend

Friend of a Friend, the duo of Claire Molek and Jason Savsani, returns with their third album, Desire! The record is an expansive and layered exploration of yearning, transformation, and connection, infused with the strange and unsettling energy of the place where it was recorded. Known for their unique blend of cinematic synthscapes, tactile rhythms, and raw, emotive vocals, the duo pushes their sound and thematic scope further than ever before in a record that feels at once haunted and alive.

The making of Desire! was defined by the environment: a sprawling Victorian mansion in Illinois chosen for its seclusion, reverb-friendly spaces, and serene desert surroundings. Initially, the house seemed like the perfect creative retreat, but its unsettling presence quickly revealed itself. Strange creaks and unexplained noises filled the nights, and both Claire and Jason, usually unfazed by old houses, found themselves sleeping with their doors open, gripped by an unshakable sense that they weren’t alone.

Despite the discomfort, the duo committed to the space, transforming it into a haven for creativity. “We tried to make it feel like home,” Claire recalls. “We lit candles, baked bread, cooked elaborate meals—anything to fill the space with warmth.” Jason adds, “It was as if we were pushing back against something intangible, trying to ground ourselves while leaning into the house’s energy.”

Three days in, they received an ominous call from the homeowner. “He started the conversation casually,” Jason remembers, “and then he just said, ‘By the way, the townspeople might tell you that the house is haunted.’” The owner went on to reveal that the house had been a gathering place for 19th-century spiritualists and was the site of the first documented exorcism in the United States. To their surprise, the house had also inspired a Hollywood film and was well-documented in paranormal circles.

This revelation shifted their understanding of the house—and the album. “It all clicked,” says Claire. “The weird energy, the sleepless nights, the feeling that the songs were coming from somewhere outside ourselves. It wasn’t just us in that house.” Instead of retreating, the duo leaned into the experience. The house became a collaborator, with its echoes and energy weaving themselves into the fabric of the album.

From the first day, the house’s ambiance shaped the recording process. Its creaks, bird calls, and eerie silence became part of the sonic palette. “The place was alive in its own way,” Claire notes. “It all seeped into the music—every sound, every take.” The band recorded mostly at night in dimly lit rooms, capturing an urgency that permeates the record. “It felt like we were chasing something fleeting,” Jason adds. “We didn’t want to lose it.”

On Desire!, Friend of a Friend refines their sonic identity while embracing an expanded palette that balances the cinematic with the intimate. The duo describes the record as a culmination of lessons learned from their previous works—In Arms and FACILITIES—pushing their sound into new, more deliberate territory. “We’ve always played with big ideas, but this time we focused on clarity,” Claire explains. “We wanted every layer, every texture to serve the narrative.”

Producer Jordan Lawler (M83), who also worked with the duo on FACILITIES, played a pivotal role in shaping the album’s sound. His approach seamlessly integrates analog and electronic elements, from shimmering synth pads to deep, tactile rhythms. The result is a record that feels both vast and grounded, inviting careful listening to its intricate details.

The haunted recording environment is deeply felt throughout the album. Tracks like “Oasis” pulse with tension, driven by Jason’s jagged guitar riffs and Claire’s hypnotic, mantra-like refrain: “I can see it in your eyes, in the drugs and how it dries.” The haunting atmosphere of “Gloria” pairs driving beats with layered harmonies, echoing the cavernous halls where it was recorded. “Mama” weaves delicate acoustic lines with lush pads and sparse hand-clap percussion, its lyrics—“Dark, deathless sleep, dark, needless spark”—capturing the haunting quiet of late-night sessions.

The album’s title track, “Desire,” encapsulates its emotional arc. Built around an oscillating synth motif, the track layers atmospheric textures and Claire’s yearning refrain—“Do you think you’re ready? Do you know you’re mine?”—into a cinematic crescendo. “This track was about precision,” Jason notes. “We wanted it to feel expansive, but every sound had to earn its place.”

While the record leans into its cinematic qualities, it retains the raw spontaneity of Friend of a Friend’s earlier work. Songs like “Beautiful People” integrate electronic beats with soaring vocals and bold lyrics—“I turn my rags right into riches, I take the sword right from the stone”—creating a dynamic progression that mirrors the transformation at the heart of the album.

Desire! is a thoughtful exploration of what it means to face uncertainty and find meaning within it. The house, with its storied past and disquieting presence, became a fitting metaphor for the album’s central themes of transformation, resilience, and self-discovery. “It was unnerving at times,” Claire reflects, “but it also felt like exactly where we were supposed to be.”

With Desire!, Friend of a Friend captures their evolution as musicians and storytellers, offering a record that lingers in the spaces between tension and beauty. The result is an immersive and deliberate work, one that showcases their musical innovation and their ability to create a vivid, otherworldly sense of place—haunting and cinematic, like stepping into a film where every sound carries a story.