The last time I saw Tricky FM was at Roseblood Fest, where she instructed the crowd to chant “CUM! CUM! CUM!” as she climbed through the crowd, got on the ground, and delivered a very convincing orgasm.
So imagine my surprise when I learned that Hanna Freed, the San Francisco musician behind Tricky FM, is actually shy. You’d also never guess it from her latest release, Twin Star Fantasy, a beep-boppy, bass-heavy roller coaster.
Opening track “Gridlock” sounds like a nostalgic video game gone haywire, bleeding into the sexy, mischievous “Apartment.” “Sugar in My Drink” is pop-heavy and fizzy like cherry coke. And then “Cut the Check” builds into a pulsating climax as Freed declares, “Two drink tickets. I’m fucking rich. An electronica star.”
And honestly? She is.
It’s textbook teenage girlhood with a synthesizer: horny, petty, insecure, wildly overconfident, and hopelessly romantic. Everything matters until nothing does, and then everything matters again. By the time we reach the title track, the bravado gives way to something more tender: “I’ve never prayed before, but I guess I’ll start.” Beneath all the electronic debauchery, there’s a shy girl. Let’s call her Hanna. And she gives a fuck. Many fucks.
Twin Star Fantasy takes you on the ride that is girlhood. It leaves you a little dizzy, a little nauseous, and absolutely ready to get back in line.
