Biography
Though Froth originated as little more than a playful fabrication, the project soon solidified into an actual recording and performing entity. Their initial pair of releases leaned heavily on saturated reverb and garage-rock energy, yet the 2017 album Outside (Briefly) marked a decisive pivot toward expansive, cinematic shoegaze and dream-pop textures. Rather than scaling up further, the group chose a more intimate direction on the 2019 follow-up Duress, favoring a delicate, lo-fi interpretation of shoegaze built around drum machines and unsteady synths.
Childhood friends Joo Joo Ashworth and Jeff Fribourg, both based in El Segundo, California, shared a love of music and a mischievous streak; together they invented the nonexistent band Froth, intending to circulate fabricated press photos and fabricated tour anecdotes without ever playing a single note. A contact at a pressing plant even agreed to manufacture an LP consisting of twenty minutes of silence, provided the sleeves bore the Froth logo. In 2012, however, circumstances intervened when Fribourg organized the small festival Ourbq and a scheduled act dropped out at the eleventh hour. With no alternative available, the pair made their live debut—Ashworth handling vocals and guitar, Fribourg on Omnichord—joined by Jeremy Katz on bass and Cameron Allen on drums. Fribourg later described the performance as “a disaster,” yet the experience spurred the musicians to begin composing and rehearsing in earnest.
Froth soon established a steady presence in Los Angeles clubs. Their debut single, “Lost My Mind,” appeared in June 2013 and surfaced the following month on the full-length Patterns, issued by Lolipop Records. Positive critical response quickly led to shows across the United States, Europe, and the United Kingdom. By the time work began on a second album, Fribourg had departed; Cole Devine took over on guitar, subtly shifting the band’s tonal emphasis and sharpening its instrumental attack. In May 2015 Froth delivered Bleak through the respected Los Angeles indie imprint Burger Records. With Nick Ventura now handling guitar duties, the group toured extensively, appearing alongside Craft Spells, Tamaryn, and Pond in both the U.S. and the U.K.
For their third album the remaining trio—now working with producer Thomas Dolas of Mr. Elevator & the Brain Hotel—pushed further into dream-pop and Krautrock territory. Outside (Briefly), titled after a chapter in a Richard Brautigan novel, emerged on Wichita Recordings in early 2017. After that outward-looking statement, the same producer helped the band reverse course, stripping arrangements to a homemade, hiss-laden aesthetic. Duress arrived in June 2019, after which Froth embarked on another round of U.S. dates.
Childhood friends Joo Joo Ashworth and Jeff Fribourg, both based in El Segundo, California, shared a love of music and a mischievous streak; together they invented the nonexistent band Froth, intending to circulate fabricated press photos and fabricated tour anecdotes without ever playing a single note. A contact at a pressing plant even agreed to manufacture an LP consisting of twenty minutes of silence, provided the sleeves bore the Froth logo. In 2012, however, circumstances intervened when Fribourg organized the small festival Ourbq and a scheduled act dropped out at the eleventh hour. With no alternative available, the pair made their live debut—Ashworth handling vocals and guitar, Fribourg on Omnichord—joined by Jeremy Katz on bass and Cameron Allen on drums. Fribourg later described the performance as “a disaster,” yet the experience spurred the musicians to begin composing and rehearsing in earnest.
Froth soon established a steady presence in Los Angeles clubs. Their debut single, “Lost My Mind,” appeared in June 2013 and surfaced the following month on the full-length Patterns, issued by Lolipop Records. Positive critical response quickly led to shows across the United States, Europe, and the United Kingdom. By the time work began on a second album, Fribourg had departed; Cole Devine took over on guitar, subtly shifting the band’s tonal emphasis and sharpening its instrumental attack. In May 2015 Froth delivered Bleak through the respected Los Angeles indie imprint Burger Records. With Nick Ventura now handling guitar duties, the group toured extensively, appearing alongside Craft Spells, Tamaryn, and Pond in both the U.S. and the U.K.
For their third album the remaining trio—now working with producer Thomas Dolas of Mr. Elevator & the Brain Hotel—pushed further into dream-pop and Krautrock territory. Outside (Briefly), titled after a chapter in a Richard Brautigan novel, emerged on Wichita Recordings in early 2017. After that outward-looking statement, the same producer helped the band reverse course, stripping arrangements to a homemade, hiss-laden aesthetic. Duress arrived in June 2019, after which Froth embarked on another round of U.S. dates.
Albums
Singles
