Band: Real Friends
Album: Three Songs About the Past Year of My Life
Genre: Pop-Punk
Label: Unsigned

Chicago pop-punk group Real Friends recently released a three song EP with Glamour Kills called Three Songs About the Past Year of My Life. Real Friends have jumped into the spotlight pretty fast, and while they aren’t selling out mid-level venues, they have a growing fan-base that doesn’t show any sign of stopping. However with their new EP Real Friends creates some catchy tunes but doesn’t really add anything more to their sound.

With this new EP Real Friends plays it safe and releases material that sounds like it could have been released with Everyone That Dragged you Here, and for some that probably isn’t a bad thing. I would like to see some more progression with each band’s release, but I understand this is just a three song stint. The EP starts off with “Dirty Water,” and it’s fast and catchy like the rest of their songs. I still don’t understand the singer’s obsession with knees, but alas it comes up again in this song. The song is driving and has some good hooks, but lyrically it leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion. “Hebron” is a slow jam, and it’s nice but nothing really more than that. The final song “Alexander Supertramp” is less than a minute and a half long, and it’s definitely an urgent song. I can appreciate the reference in the title track, and it’s the best song of three easily. You can hear the angst and dissatisfaction in the singer’s voice, and I can definitely get into that.

Maybe it’s because I’ve fallen out of pop-punk a bit recently, or maybe it’s because things have to be really unique to get me caught up in it, but there was just nothing really on Three Songs About the Past Year of My Life that really got me. I’m interested to see how Real Friends does when they put out a full release, because I’d really love to see them push themselves musically. There’s a lot of bands that sound like Real Friends right now, and the ones that will stay in the spotlight are the one’s that push themselves to be more than just “some pop-punk group.” I think Real Friends is definitely capable of doing this, it’s just a matter of going for it.

SCORE: 6/10

Written By: Tyler Osborne 

• Author
• Recent Posts

Tyler Osborne

Live in DC, grew up in PA. I specialize in writing, filming and taking pictures about punk, pop-punk, and hardcore music, and I also have a huge background in film as well. When not on the site, i'm running my own internet radio show, ToZ's Edge Radio (www.facebook.com/tozedgeradio). I also love stage diving and goldfish.

Latest posts by Tyler Osborne (see all)

• UTG PREMIERE: Kill Lincoln – “Good Riddance to Good Advice” Music Video - March 10, 2015
• REVIEW: You Blew It! – ‘Pioneer of Nothing’ EP - January 26, 2015
• Kill Lincoln Announce Spring Tour - January 14, 2015