On their full-length debut, this London-based quartet—led by frontwoman and principal songwriter Anna Friedberg—sounds as experienced as it gets. Hardcore Workout Queen is a firecracker of an album, amply hooky with an uncompromising sense of rhythm that has the tightness of punk. Anna is a powerhouse herself, having the slyness and command of a stand-up comedian, with caustic lyrics and vocals that could be sarcastic as well as affecting. 
Friedberg the band operates with great economy and achieves a lot with less, as on the opening number “100 Times,” which thrives on killer drums, bass, and Anna’s vocals. Anna sings as if in an unbroken flow of thoughts with pensively smoky vocals, in this immensely captivating song that one simply gets lost in, as it keeps going on with just minor nuances around the vocals.
The tracks “My Best Friend,” “So Dope,” and “Hardcore Workout Queen” have a playful snarkiness with a crisp rhythm section and deadpan vocals that are still full of ardor. The guitars and synths have a sense of thriftful restraint, embellishing the incredible rhythm just enough to make it sound its best. The same goes with the production, which is mindful of the energy in these songs, allowing Friedberg to sound pretty much like a live outfit, because that’s how their music is meant to be best enjoyed.
The pensive outlier “Pull Me Off The Passing Lane,” led by sublimely melodious acoustic guitars, shows that Friedberg can be as haunting as they are zany. Anna’s vocals this time are not ironic but full of pain, but still as charismatic, as she sings with the soul of a heartbroken folk singer. Much like the album opener “100 Times,” this closing track is meant for one to just get lost in, especially in its last half, with slow ambient synths, soft beats and illegible—almost prayerful—vocals.
The Friedberg ladies did not grow up rehearsing together out of a shared passion to make music they like. They are in fact strangers who were brought together by happenstance and word of mouth by Anna, who had written a bunch of songs and wanted a band to play them. However, these women sound as if they have a long history of kinship with each other. It is a tremendous joy just to listen to them play in complete emotional, spiritual, and rhythmic harmony.