Real Friends - Maybe This Place Is The Same and We're Just Changing (Album Review)

Real Friends have been hitting great heights internationally lately and they are now establishing their selves as a top player in the pop punk scene with the timely release (July 22nd) of their debut album; ‘Maybe This Place Is the same and we’re Just Changing’. 

The album starts with a brief intro and kicks into life straight away with ‘I Don’t Love You Anymore’ - what I notice straight away in this song is the extra bite on the vocals which provides a great raw sound to accompany flowing guitar riffs and upbeat drum beats.  I can already draw comparisons to the likes of The Wonder Years with this number, an entertaining opening. 

‘Cover You Up’ is a typical Real Friends song with the reoccurring theme of heartbreak and emotional feelings. Again I am impressed with the powerful vocals and the wonderful chemistry it shares with the instrumentals. ‘Old Book’ is slightly more peaceful number and gives you an insight into the softer influences that the band share, quite similar to the recent works of Fireworks and Transit, it’s a nice minute and a half of musical versatility which is always welcome. 

Next track ‘Summer’ is superb – the vocals scream out emotion and are again very impressive. A mixture of different guitar riffs makes the track very catchy. Although the track is titled ‘Summer’ the main hook of the song is ‘I’ll get through the winter without you’ – again connecting to those fans who may share similar heartbreak or tough times after relationships which was a reason why their previous works have proven so popular with fans.

Fans should already be familiar with ‘Loose Ends’ which was released before the album release. Unfortunately it’s not one of my favourite tracks on the album; in parts I find the vocals to be a bit whiny and lacking control, what is good is the additional vocals towards the end of the track which brings a hardcore punk element to the song.  It seemed to go down very well on their recent UK tour when they played it live so I’m sure it will continue to be a favourite with their fans. 

‘Short Song’ is another brief number, the opening sounds very similar to the opening of ‘Loose Ends’ which is a little confusing – after a promising opening I find the track concludes abruptly after numerous outburst of ‘but that’s how it’s gonna be’ – I can imagine though that hook being screamed back to them on upcoming live tours. Next track ‘Sixteen’ is intriguing, the vocals seem to have a distant sound effect which is different; from the instrumentals I draw comparisons to again Transit and a little bit of Into It. Over It. This is probably one of my favourites on the album a very calming and welcome change to the much heavier instrumentals and prominent vocals. 

‘Spread Me over Illinois’ returns to the fast paced nature of  the majority of the album, throughout there is a change of drum patterns and the much more potent guitars, which have been somewhat lacking so far in the album finally has a chance to shine; a much more edgy track with more potency. ‘To My Old Self’ has a much more indie-like introduction with much softer vocals, again this track shows the growing maturity of the band’s sound, also showing that Real Friends aren’t just another pop punk band, they like to have a variety which is a good sign for them. A constant drum beat towards the end of the song leads into a vocal explosion which provides a great conclusion to the track.

A lyric in ‘I Think I’m Moving Forward’ backs up my suggestion of more maturity with this band. ‘I smile and think about how much I’ve grown this year’ – although the lyric suggests it’s a single person’s thoughts I believe it reflects the whole attitude of each member of the band. I think this track also suggests the band is moving forward positively and this song sums up the reception and success they’ve had over the past twelve months. 

The album comes to a close with ‘...And We’re Just Changing’ – this is certainly an uplifting number to end on, the instrumentals seem to have a summery feel to them and the vocals seem just slightly more relaxed and are not as angry as previous. Again I enjoy when the guitars and drums take centre stage and there are not just constant pounding vocals which can always get enough for any punk music fan. 

Overall I believe there is undoubtedly some progression in this release and should take them on to larger ventures. The album should prove popular in their homeland and overseas. A nice combination of energetic and driving vocals and continuously consistent instrumentals provide a pretty strong album which the band should be delighted to kick off their studio album career.