Put Yourself Back Together is the 5th EP from Chicago 5 piece Real Friends.
EP opener “Late Nights In My Car” is exactly what you’d expect from a Real Friends song, punchy, energetic and catchy. It also features what is fast becoming a trademark of the band or a rallying cry “Sleepy Eyes and Bony Knees”, originally from the track “Floorboards” from the “Everyone That Dragged You Here” EP. Following that is “Skin Deep”. Another catchy and energetic song with great sing along lines like “I think home is where the heart is, if that’s the case i’ve never been home”. The track builds up slowly to a very punchy ending.
Track 3 is “Dead”, For me the strongest track on the EP. The energy and pace of previous songs is carried through in this song with a nice little reference to personal favourite past Real Friends song “Hebron” from “Three Songs About the Past Year of My Life”. “Dirty Water” a re recorded song from the “Three Songs About the Past Year of My Life” EP. The good thing about this re recorded version is that they haven’t changed it drastically, why fix something that isn’t broken right?
“I’ve Given Up On You” is a slow tempo song about trying to move on from someone, it is a typical pop punk song but with the brilliant Real Friends twist that makes this band really stand out from the crowd. Following that “Old And All Alone” a real sing along song. A song to someone who the narrator has strong feelings of dislike towards, again a typical pop punk song but with the Real Friends twist that makes it great. Finally closing the EP “Lost Boy” starts off with a punchy guitar riff. The EP is 7 tracks of relatable music but this one seems to hit the spot the most for me. Another standout track on the release which finishes it off really well.
This latest offering from Real Friends has really showed why this band is at the top of their game. Everything is better than previous release, Dan Lambton vocals are spot on and the songwriting, although following the same themes as previous releases from Real Friends just seemed to have gone up to the next level.
Real Friends are on the cusp of hitting the “big time”. There hasn’t been this kind of hype and excitement around a pop-punk band since The Story So Far and with an already impressive back catalogue of EP’s it won’t be long until Real Friends get the recognition and success they deserve. With a spot of Vans Warped Tour this year and making their UK debut at the London leg of Warped Tour it will not be long until Real Friends are selling out tours in the US, UK and beyond.
Put Yourself Back Together is out on the 4th June.
Follow Real Friends:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realfriendsband
Twitter: www.twitter.com/realfriendsband