In which Bernstein, Eno, Reich, Sakamoto, DeMarinis, and Orwell fail to grasp the most important question (then again, it's not like we here on the ground have been any wiser these last fifty years or so).

There is the technology, yes, but who controls it? Who controls our expression, and the conversations we have about expression?

Prometheus was given fire by the gods. The human gods who give us our technologies leave much to be desired.

Who are we but what we are able to express — in language or in music? Who shapes and contours how we express ourselves?

How can we make sense of strange new feelings?

Who is in control of our nostalgia for the future?

Who?

frindlegap (noun) /ˈfrɪn.dəlˌɡæp/

a gap in a language; an opportunity for a new word or neologism

Listener disclosure: portions of this track were made using publicly available software from ElevenLabs and Basic Pitch.

techneurodelic (adjective) / ˈtɛk.nʊɹ.əˌdɛ.lɪk /

related to or denoting media, phenomena, or experiences that evoke or induce a sense of the uncanny or novel, arising specifically from their genesis in generative or artificially intelligent technologies.

Listener disclosure: portions of this track were made using publicly available software from Suno, ElevenLabs, Holly.plus, and Basic Pitch.

ohhsome (adjective) /ˈoʊsəm /

extremely clarifying or elucidating; inspiring great and sudden understanding (akin to "awesome" but for a sense of ohhh)

zania (noun) / ˈzeɪniə /

a state of mind characterized by obsession or pre-occupation over a whimsical, harebrained project, idea, pursuit, or sincerijink,

zomply (plural noun) / ˈzɒm pli /

digital text messages or exchanges characterized by a lack of tonal indicators, such as punctuation or emojis, making their tone inscrutable; can also be the result of curtness or briefness. singular form is zomp.

davern (noun) /ˈdævərn/

an arbitrary, shitty, graceless, or awkward secondary extension of a bar or café; akin to a speakeasy but not secret or clandestine, merely confusingly attached to an otherwise normal bar.

Long live Dinky's Davern!

sincerijinks (plural noun) /sɪnˈsɛrɪˌdʒɪŋks/

a playful act or prank executed with genuine and earnest intentions, blending sincerity and mischief in equal measure. usually collaborative

derouse (verb) /diˈraʊz/

to purposefully diminish or undo a state of sexual arousal or excitement

Frindlers is an American English-based techneurodelic protoneologia aural dictionary recording project. The members rank among New York's finest writers. Their debut full-length First Edition, released April 1st, 2025, is available now via Bandcamp, Nina Protocol, and the Internet Archive.

This Preface to the First Edition features audio from Leonard Bernstein's first lecture at Harvard's Norton Lecture series, wherein he focuses and muses upon "musical phonology." It also features snippets and clips from various members of the group musing on the roots of words, the fleeting nature of orality and song, and the complicated relationship between language and music.

Frindlers are Lane Rodges, Logan Chung, Jane Lai, Julcia Cotsco, Léna Bartels, and Shaughnessy "Trash Girl" Jones.