Last summer, I was wasting time online when I stumbled on the video for “Gentle,” a single from the Tricky FM album Peace Love Unity Rave. The song’s burbling sonics and soft, yearning vocals, rendered visually by the video’s cool color palette and pulsating digital textures, intrigued me.
When I dug deeper, I discovered that Tricky FM—the stage name of the San Francisco-based musician and jewelry designer Hana Freed—seemed to be a real presence in the Bay Area music scene. She works with the local label Cherub Dream Records, and has performed a string of shows with artists like Mechatok, Astronauts Etc, and French 79. Her August 2025 opening set for the latter was documented in Lauren Melton’s short film Take Me There.
Now, Freed is gearing up to perform her new record Twin Star Fantasy at The Lab on October 22. Shortly before the album’s release, Freed and I met up in San Francisco to talk about how she developed her sound and visual style, her relationships in the scene, and the meaning of the phrase “cum circle crowdwork.”
48 HILLS First of all, how would you describe your sound and aesthetic, and how did you arrive at it?
TRICKY FM Initially, I thought I was going to make guitar music, or be in a guitar band. My sound came out of being resourceful. I happened to have a Macbook, and[it came with a free copy of Garageband. There’s MIDI instruments, and you can program your own drums. I was still trying to do guitar stuff, but then one of my friends taught me how to sample things, how to chop and stretch them. And it just became so much fun. As far as the visual aesthetic goes, I’m not sure. I’m having fun as it develops. I identify as a woman, and I feel like a lot of my work either consciously or subconsciously is going through the filter of my unique experience of being a woman in a body in this time, you know? My aesthetic is an externalization of that.
48 HILLS That’s interesting, because one of the things that I like so much about your work is that there’s a softness that feels very feminine to me. Was that a purposeful choice that you made, or is that what comes out as you’re creating?
TRICKY FM I do feel soft inside, very sentimental and emotional, and I value softness and beauty. And I think that my unique experience walking around, being a person and woman in this world, does have a bunch of different textures and feelings and aesthetics. One of them is beauty and softness, and that can exist with other things that are a bit more spiky or aggressive or visceral, you know? But that softness is something that is present in my internal world, and something that I want to experience externally too.
48 HILLS You mentioned originally thinking about making guitar music. I’m curious if that’s still something you want to do. And also, the sound that you’re working with now, did you imagine what you would make with a guitar, or in a band setting, to be similar?
TRICKY FM I didn’t think so! I was really into early Cherry Glazerr, early The Garden. I also really liked Vivian Girls and Best Coast, things that are more surfy or shoegazey. I thought that was going to be the vibe. But it’s very different! [laughs] I’m enjoying that. As far as being in a band now, I’m not sure. Lately I’ve been playing with a live drummer, which has been really fun. And sometimes I fantasize about, like, if I could interpret Tricky FM songs into a full arrangement. But it would still be Tricky FM.
48 HILLS How did you link up with a drummer?
TRICKY FM He is a screenprinter based in Oakland—shout out Nick if you need screenprinting services! He’s also the drummer in Cel Genesis. I had him make some shirts for me when I was first trying to play shows. We kept in contact and became close, and he would come to my shows. Recently, I played a festival called Sled Island in Canada. I thought it would be fun for him and I to go together, but only performing artists can get a festival pass. He had the idea to play drums for me so we didn’t have to pay an extra $200 or something. [laughs] And then we had a great time, and decided to play some more shows together.
48 HILLS Has adding in a different instrumental texture changed how the songs feel in any way?
TRICKY FM I think so. At first, I was kind of uncomfortable, because I’m so used to my very computer-y sound, and all of a sudden I heard a very analog rock drum sound. And together, I was like, “Oh! That’s not really how I imagined it would sound!” But I feel like having a live drummer adds a more visceral energy, and also someone on stage to work off of. It’s been really fun.
48 HILLS You’re a jewelry designer as well. I was really curious about whether you feel like designing jewelry also feeds back into music in some way, or if you think about those two things in parallel with each other.
TRICKY FM I appreciate that question! I feel like making music and audio is an ephemeral thing that you can’t really touch, but working on something that is very tangible, that you can touch with your hands—it sounds really dramatic, but it’s a different way to experience yourself. It feels almost like dating, or like having different relationships in your life. Spending time with some people can give you perspective on other people in your life, or yourself, and open up your heart and mind to different perspectives. When I’m doing jewelry, maybe my mind is here, but something else in my brain is thinking about music.
48 HILLS Are there any other creative avenues that you have explored in the past, or that you want to explore in the future? Or any other ways that that creativity comes and goes?
TRICKY FM Yeah, totally! I do fantasize about a lot of stuff, but—big dream—I really love movies. I love this idea of telling a story about unique experiences of people. A lot of people in my life are inspiring and it would be very cool to translate them in that way.
48 HILLS Your music videos have such a defined quality, and I also watched the documentary that you were in. So it actually makes sense to me that that would be a place that you’d want to go.
TRICKY FM I’m such a little attention whore for being on camera. [laughs] My friends Lauren Melton and Chichi Castillo made a really great short film called Be Here Now, and it features all Bay Area artists and musicians. It was really cool. When they were casting, they were like, “You don’t need to be an actor—we want you.” They kind of created this meta universe of the Bay Area scene. The characters in the film were reflections of who they were in real life. I really liked that, so the idea of Tricky FM existing in some type of other universe is really interesting to me. Traversing universes, still having a thread that connects to each other but in different mediums—I think it’s really cool.
48 HILLS This actually leads into one of my other questions. I found your music through following Cherub Dream Records online. It feels like there’s such a scene around them. I was curious about how you linked up with the label, because my impression is that they sign a lot more guitar-based music. Also, what’s your overall experience within the scene in the Bay Area?
TRICKY FM Shout out Cherub Dream Records! I moved here around 2021, but I didn’t really start trying to go out and play shows until 2022, maybe even 2023. I was trying to book stuff by myself, reaching out, cold-DMing venues, going to flyers that I’m seeing, and really just being like, “Hey guys! Can I play?” There was a show at Golden Bull in Oakland (which is closed now) and it was me, Nothing Natural, and April Magazine. And JB from Cherub Dream came to that show. They were like, “Would you be down to wear this Cherub Dream hat?” And now, they say that’s kind of their thing. “I like your music. Would you wear this hat? Would you wear this shirt?”
So yeah, I wore the hat. That was the start of meeting people there. As far as it being mostly guitar music—I do recognize that, and I wish there was more electronica music here. I’m always looking for that. But everyone on Cherub is so cool and supportive. I have a tenderness in my heart for how welcoming they were, how they plug me into a community that is really supportive and just genuinely sweet. It’s a lovely, new feeling for me.
48 HILLS Talking about live music, one thing I was curious about was the process of translating your sound to a live setting. It’s very electronic, and because of that, reads to me as quite internal. What was that process like?
TRICKY FM I like that you said that electronic music feels internal. It’s made at home, on a computer, so I’m translating a really introspective, internal experience outward. I did [a program at] Women’s Audio Mission and learned more about live sound, but I feel like I’m still always learning. Like, early on, I didn’t know that you need to ask, “Can you turn me up in my monitors?” If the monitors weren’t loud enough, I’d crank it on my mixer, and it’d be redlining out there. [laughs]
To get better, I’d get feedback from people that I trust. Like, “How did I sound? How do you approach talking to a sound person? What does your stage plot look like? How do you book a show?” It feels very much like trying in public. I’m a big believer that the process really informs what you’re doing. Even if I were to sit in my apartment and be like, “It has to be perfect,” it’ll be different live, because there’s so many other elements that you won’t account for. Like the whole cum circle crowdwork thing that I’ve been doing lately. I didn’t plan that. [laughs]
48 HILLS Just to confirm, cum circle crowdwork?
TRICKY FM Yeah, it’s when I get everyone to make a circle around me and scream “cum.” [laughs]
48 HILLS That’s actually a really good segue into something that I wanted to ask. Your stage persona, as exemplified by the cum circle, feels very confrontational, very full-on, while your music tends to sound very soft. I’m curious about how you built that persona, and the contrast in that.
TRICKY FM I can see the shock on people’s faces. Because online it sounds soft, cool beats—maybe some breakbeats—but then live, it’s very different! I think my stage energy developed through doing, through process. I was really shy at first. I feel like, when I feel shy, there’s something that I want to hide. But I’m putting myself in front of everyone.
So I think that this stage persona has elements of my personality that, historically, I shove down or feel shameful about. Where do I put that energy? Because it’s not going to go away. Through the process of playing live, my conscious or subconscious realized that, maybe, I can express those parts of myself in that space. And then you get these reactions that are either affirming or shocking or challenging, and now those parts of me get to have a conversation.
48 HILLS In that process, have you learned anything about yourself or about the audience that has surprised you?
TRICKY FM I’m surprised by the things I say up there! I am continually shocked by myself. Sometimes I’ll go to the merch table and someone will bring up something that I completely forgot that I said. Some people say they were really scared or uncomfortable. Some people have come up to me and said thank you, because maybe they also have a lot of shame around sexuality. Some people think it’s hilarious.
48 HILLS Do you find that the things that you’re able to vocalize in a live space make their way back into the music that you make?
TRICKY FM Yeah, especially for my new album. I wasn’t playing a ton of shows when I made Peace Love Unity Rave. Now, going back and making Twin Star Fantasy, I was thinking about how it will translate live. Like, what kind of relationship do I want to have with the crowd? How will it sound on a big system? I definitely was thinking about that more.
48 HILLS I was listening to the advance singles and it sounds like your voice is more upfront in the mix than it used to be. So I was curious, are there things on the album that are new for you, or that you think will surprise people?
TRICKY FM My vocals are a lot more upfront. I tried to be more earnest with lyrics, and I really leaned into trying to make, like, a song-y song, you know?
48 HILLS Like a more structured song?
TRICKY FM Yeah, a song-y song. It was fun! For a while, I was feeling stuck and not very inspired. But when I feel like that, I’m feeling like I should probably learn something new. The most fun or creative times are when I’m new at something and I’m discovering it. So I did a lot of learning about song structure and arrangement and what sonic elements can make me feel a certain type of way, and more journaling about what I’m actually feeling. Learning, getting better, and knowing myself more was very special.
48 HILLS You have the album coming out, and then you’re going on tour as well. Do you have ideas of what you’re going to do after that?
TRICKY FM Yes! My album is coming out September 29. There will be a record release show at The Lab on October 22, but before that there will be a West Coast tour. This will be my first foray into trying to tour. In 2027, I definitely want to play more outside of the Bay Area. I hope JB is okay if I say this—they were saying they feel this way about Cherub Dream Records, that they want to have a regional sound and community, but with a national reach. And I feel very similarly about Tricky FM. I want to be here, but with a national reach.
TRICKY FM TWIN STAR FANTASY RELEASE PARTY October 22, 8pm. The Lab, SF. Tickets and more info here.
