Words by Noah Berghammer
Featured Photo and Photo 4 by Madeleine Thomas (@madthomas_)
Photo 2 by Matt Weinberger (@mweinbergerr)
Photo 3 by Marcus Maddox(@marcus.xoxo)
If the Dare had a cooler younger sister, it would be Abby Manos- aka Abifrail. You might not know her yet, but soon you’ll be “runnin” to her Spotify, live shows, and to check out her new music videos; she has a charisma about her, both sonically in the music, and as a person that will draw you in and make you believe in what she’s doing. I caught up with Abby over FaceTime to discuss her new single “Runnin x2” and to chat about how she came to the conclusion that she wanted to pursue being a musician in the first place.
Abby Manos grew up with no musical background; she went to college at Northeastern in Boston, and studied business and marketing. Once graduated, she took a job in New York and moved in with her loose friend, (they dated the same ex) Aria Cabello, who has since turned into her major collaborator for the visuals on this artist project. In talking to Manos, it’s easy to pick-up on her charm; she has a good understanding of what music means to her and what she wants out of it. “I don’t need it to be my everything or my number one. I’m cool with making music on the side; I think it allows me to stay open to new ideas, and most importantly, it allows for not to feel like a job because, well, it’s not.” Says Manos, in response to me asking if she wants to be a full-time artist. Nonetheless, what she’s saying with her music feels fresh. With influences like Grimes and Tirzah, Manos combines DIY electronic production with intimate lyrics that are presented in a way that is catchy and melodic. She coins herself as the “Indie-Girl Skrillex” and personally, I see it.
“I started to make music because I felt like there was something that I wanted to hear from the world that wasn’t quite there.” Since moving to New York, Manos has gone from being shy about her artistic pursuit of music to being inspired by the other incredible artists that this city has to offer. “If they are taking things seriously and releasing music all the time, maybe I should be, too.” And it’s not just about the music for Abifrail, either. She wants to world-build, which I find very interesting; for someone with only one song out, it feels like there is a set of infrastructure already in place for herself as an artist. Her and Aria Cabello have music videos and cover arts that are shot and ready to go; if they have an idea for a new song, they aren’t waiting around to make it happen, they are just making it themselves which I think gives this artist project a lot of context.
“Take a seat in my delusion. I wanna tell you something, something, but you just keep on running” is a common thread for Manos’ effort to find some stability for her dating life in New York. The dating culture in this city can be volatile, but Manos uses each and every experienceas inspiration for new songs. She writes sad songs about heartbreak that you can dance to and “Runnin x2” is no exception. The vulnerable lyrics of the song compliment the upbeat production in a really pleasant way, and it gives Abifrail her own unique sound.
Keep an eye out for Manos and her new single “Runnin” as she enters the Dimes-Square electronic scene with a fresh take. Who knows, maybe she could be the next big thing to come from New York?
Directed by Aria Cabello. Produced by Devon Ortiz Goldberg.