Froge.mp3
Mixtape by
Piri & Tommy
Released21 October 2022
Recorded2020–2022
Length35:46
LabelPolydor
ProducerTommy Villiers
Singles from Froge.mp3
  1. "Caviar Hardcore"
    Released: 14 May 2020
  2. "Soft Spot"
    Released: 4 June 2021
  3. "Beachin"
    Released: 28 January 2022
  4. "Words"
    Released: 22 April 2022
  5. "On & On"
    Released: 28 July 2022

Froge.mp3 (/froʊɡ/) is the debut mixtape by Piri & Tommy. It charted at No. 13 on the UK Dance Albums Chart.

Released on 21 October 2022 and on vinyl on 22 April 2023 on Polydor Records, the album contains previous singles "Soft Spot", "Beachin", "Words", and "On & On", and eight additional tracks. The album was promoted by Froge.tour, a nine-date tour, and Froge.tv, a twelve-episode YouTube Shorts series. Critical reception was broadly positive, with Gigwise describing the album as the 45th best album of 2022, and NME rating it amongst the twenty best mixtapes and EPs of 2022.

Background and singles

Tommy Villiers began producing music in sixth form after his older brother[1] Hamish[2] began taking him to house parties, prompting Villiers to develop an interest in dance music.[1] He wanted to replicate what he was hearing, and having received a Mac,[3] he began producing drum and bass tracks and uploading them to SoundCloud.[4] One of these tracks was "Caviar Hardcore", released on 14 May 2020.[5]

Just before the second United Kingdom COVID-19 lockdown, he met Piri.[6] They met after she matched with him on Tinder and discovered Villiers' band Porij on Twitter, and then found Villiers' Instagram account[7] and asked him if she could "shoot [her] shot".[8] They began writing songs together after they realised that Piri could sing and Villiers could produce; the first song they wrote was "Sunlight",[9] and the first song they released was "It's a Match", a disco song they recorded after experimenting with numerous genres.[10]

On 4 June 2021, the pair released "Soft Spot", which went viral on TikTok and Spotify, prompting EMI to sign the pair, and re-release "Soft Spot"[11] under the name "Piri & Tommy Villiers" on 13 September 2021;[12] as Piri & Tommy, EMI also released "Beachin" on 28 January 2022 and "Words" on 22 April 2022. Polydor Records later signed them and released "On & On" on 28 July 2022.[13] The music videos for "Words"[14] and "On & On" contained frogs; when Piri met Tommy, she was in a phase of drawing frogs and toads, and they started calling each other 'froge' (/froʊɡ/)[15] as a nickname. Later, a crocheted frog hat would become part of Piri's signature look.[16]

Release and promotion

Each song (in both lyrics and vibe) captures a different point in time of our journey, and the different experiences and emotions we were going through. We really wanted to avoid guiding or limiting ourselves too much during the creative process: we made whatever we felt like, just for fun, and I can definitely feel that energy of us enjoying being creative and with no pressure when listening back. It’s so cool having a collection of tracks to document parts of our lives in that way, like a little time capsule.

—Piri[17]

Piri & Tommy announced the release of the album in September 2022, with Piri describing it as "basically a diary of the first year tommy and I have been making music, and pretty much the first year of us knowing each other at all".[17] The project was intended as a mixtape, rather than an album; in an interview with Student Music Network UK, Piri stated that when they "were making these songs, [they] weren't really thinking of an album", and "were just kind of making like songs or doing what was best for each song and making just whatever we felt like making".[15]

Froge.mp3 was released on 21 October 2022,[18] with a vinyl release on 22 April 2023.[19] They promoted the mixtape with a nine-date tour, Froge.tour, in November 2022.[18] In addition, the pair uploaded a twelve episode YouTube Shorts series, froge.tv, in which Piri and Villiers explained what the album's songs were written about.[20]

Reception

Froge.mp3 charted at No. 13 on the UK Dance Albums Chart.[21] Reviews for the album were broadly positive; The Times called it "electric",[22] while Dork gave it five stars and called it an "air-tight, comprehensive taster of their potential".[23] AllMusic likened it to PinkPantheress' To Hell with It but with "a more Ibiza-friendly sound", and noted that "[a]ny of these tracks would sound perfect at a beach rave, but the lyrics and hooks stick with you, and they stand up to repeated home listens. […] Fresh, vibrant, and deeper than it might seem on the surface, froge.mp3 is a gem".[24] The New Yorker called it "charming",[25] NME rated it amongst the twenty best mixtapes and EPs of 2022,[26] and Gigwise described the album as the 45th best album of 2022.[27] Reviewing a Froge.tour gig, The Guardian singled out "Silver Lining" for praise, and complimented its lyrics "How did we get this far?"[28] and "running out of time, I can still see a silver lining" [sic].[note 1][28] The Soundboard Stereo described "On & On" as "pretty much the wormiest earworm going", though felt that little else was of the same standard, and that the mixtape's "very light, tactile pop / drum 'n' bass" was "not in any way equipped to convey" some of the lyrics on "Beachin", citing as an example "I got him bussin', he makin' some mayo".[30]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleSubjectLength
1."Silver Lining"Entering a long-distance relationship[31]2:34
2."On & On"Their experience at the end of[32] Parklife Festival[33]2:15
3."Soft Spot"Piri's inability to control her feelings for Villiers[34]3:43
4."Settle"Post-breakup disenchantment[35]2:42
5."Words"Communication problems[36]3:10
6."Slowly But Surely"Wondering when to express affection[37]3:06
7."Say It"Being scared to say 'I love you' too early[38]2:58
8."Can We"Struggles to find the right team[39]2:36
9."Easy"Comfort within a relationship[40]3:08
10."Player 2"Villiers' departure from his previous band,[41] Porij[42]3:00
11."Beachin"Trip to Formby beach[43]3:15
12."Sunlight"Early dates[44]3:14
Total length:35:46
SoundCloud edition additional track
No.TitleLength
13."Caviar Hardcore"4:10
Total length:39:56

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[29]

Musicians

  • Piri – lead vocals
  • Tommy Villiers – vocals (4, 10), mixing (all except 11), mastering (3, 11)
  • Jonny Breakwell – mixing (11)
  • Stuart Hawkes – mastering (all except 3 and 11)

Charts

Chart performance for Froge.mp3
Chart (2022) Peak
position
UK Dance Albums (OCC)[45] 13

Notes

  1. ↑ Per the album's liner notes, the correct lyric is "I still see a silver lining".[29]

References

  1. 1 2 "Piri & Tommy Villiers - 1883 Magazine". 30 September 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  2. ↑ Morris, Susan (20 April 2020). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage 2019. eBook Partnership. ISBN 978-1-9997670-5-1.
  3. ↑ "Miz w/ Piri & Tommy Villiers". Reprezent Radio. Archived from the original on 23 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  4. ↑ "The Zoomer Embrace of Drum 'n' Bass". Pitchfork. 29 October 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  5. ↑ Caviar Hardcore, retrieved 2023-06-14
  6. ↑ J, Trixie (2023-04-04). "Piri and Tommy Rose from Viral Rookies to UK Dance's Next Big Ace". Nexus Radio. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  7. ↑ MistaJam. 8 June 2022. Capital Dance.
  8. ↑ "Radio 1's Dance Party with Danny Howard, MK & Paul Woolford Hottest Record". BBC Radio 1. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  9. ↑ "piri & Tommy: Dynamic Duo". Notion. 4 March 2022. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  10. ↑ "The Daisy Adams Show w/ Piri and Tommy Villiers 27th October 2021". Reform Radio. Archived from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  11. ↑ "The Zoomer Embrace of Drum 'n' Bass". Pitchfork. 29 October 2021. Archived from the original on 10 March 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  12. ↑ "piri, Tommy Villiers - Soft Spot Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 3 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  13. ↑ "piri Singles and EPs discography". Spotify. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  14. ↑ "Piri And Tommy 'Words' by Rupert Holler | Videos". Promonewstv. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
  15. 1 2 "piri & tommy: Student Radio Class of 2023". Retrieved 14 April 2023 – via YouTube.
  16. ↑ "Hype List 2023: piri & tommy: "You've just got to take one thing at a time"". Dork. 30 November 2022. Archived from the original on 24 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  17. 1 2 Murray, Robin (September 21, 2022). "piri & tommy Announce Debut Project 'froge.mp3' | News".
  18. 1 2 "piri & tommy have announced their debut project, 'froge.mp3'". Dork. 21 September 2022. Archived from the original on 4 March 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  19. ↑ "froge.mp3". Record Store Day. Archived from the original on 4 March 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  20. ↑ "piri & tommy launch 'froge.tv' YouTube Shorts serie". Withguitars.com. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  21. ↑ "Piri & Tommy". Official Charts. 17 November 2022. Archived from the original on 17 November 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  22. ↑ Helm, Jake. "Piri and Tommy: meet the rising stars of pop". The Times. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022.
  23. ↑ Holden, Finlay (20 October 2022). "piri & tommy – froge.mp3". Dork. Archived from the original on 17 November 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  24. ↑ "froge.mp3 - piri, piri & tommy, Tommy Villiers | Release Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  25. ↑ "Piri Amp Tommy Froge Mp 3". The New Yorker.
  26. ↑ NME (2022-12-13). "The 20 best mixtapes and EPs of 2022". NME. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
  27. ↑ "Gigwise's 51 Best Albums Of 2022 | Gigwise". www.gigwise.com. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  28. 1 2 Petridis, Alexis (6 November 2022). "Piri and Tommy review – infectious, candy-striped pop fun". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 December 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  29. 1 2 Piri & Tommy (21 October 2022). froge.mp3 (Media notes). Polydor Records.
  30. ↑ "The Soundboard Stereo: Banshees, Beyoncé & Black Adam". Thesoundboardreviews.com. 27 January 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  31. ↑ piri & tommy - silver lining | froge.tv YouTube Shorts Series, retrieved 2023-09-13
  32. ↑ "piri and tommy talk collaborating and recording under duvets | MTV UK & IRE PUSH 2023". YouTube. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  33. ↑ "piri & tommy Share Joyous New Bumper 'on & on'". Clash Music. 29 July 2022. Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  34. ↑ Poole, Cameron. "DIY dance duo, piri & Tommy Villiers, are the new kids on the block". 1883. Archived from the original on 17 November 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  35. ↑ piri & tommy - settle | froge.tv YouTube Shorts Series, retrieved 2023-09-13
  36. ↑ piri & tommy - words | froge.tv YouTube Shorts Series, retrieved 2023-09-13
  37. ↑ piri & tommy - slowly but surely | froge.tv YouTube Shorts Series, retrieved 2023-09-13
  38. ↑ piri & tommy - say it | froge.tv YouTube Shorts Series, retrieved 2023-09-13
  39. ↑ piri & tommy - can we | froge.tv YouTube Shorts Series, retrieved 2023-09-13
  40. ↑ piri & tommy - easy | froge.tv YouTube Shorts Series, retrieved 2023-09-13
  41. ↑ piri & tommy - player 2 | froge.tv YouTube Shorts Series, retrieved 2023-09-13
  42. ↑ Williams, Sophie (12 September 2022). "Porij: dynamic Manchester gang with festival season's most fun live show". NME. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  43. ↑ "Piri & Tommy Interview: 'Soft Spot' and Tik Tok Strategy! Interview W/ Jasper Hopkins". Unity Radio. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  44. ↑ piri & tommy - sunlight | froge.tv YouTube Shorts Series, retrieved 2023-09-13
  45. ↑ "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
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