Real Friends – Put Yourself Back Together
Review by Trevor Figge
Real Friends is a pop-punk band from the suburbs of Chicago, taking influences from the very bands that they love and can now call their equals. Put Yourself Back Together is the much-anticipated follow up to Everyone That Dragged You Here. Before listening to this album I was a little tense; I hoped that they both progressed, but at the same time that they did not stray too far from their previous release. This tension was quickly relieved when the first track “Late Nights In My Car” kicked in. It starts out like a New Found Glory song with a slower halftime feel, building as the song gets progressively more intimate until finally the band repeats the lyrics “If you never break you’ll never know.” A simple set of lyrics that is dripping with emotion and sets the standard for the rest of the EP.
“Skin Deep” keeps it going; it’s a fast emotional song about a girl that vocalist Dan Lambton said is “just another sad song.” Similarly, “Dead” and “Dirty Water” are fantastic, emotional and well-crafted songs that are sure to comfort anyone who has felt heartbreak before.
After these three songs comes “I’ve Given Up On You;” a slow song that is sure to reduce the manliest of men to tears. This song is filled with loneliness, sadness, nostalgia, regret, anger and even love. It is one of the stand out tracks on this album simply because it has the same sincerity that the rest of it has, without the aggression that comes with the full band and Dan’s yells.
“Old and All Alone” is the perfect follow up to “I’ve Given Up On You” allowing the listener to understand just how much pain this girl caused. This song leads into to “Lost Boy,” which leaves the listener with a relatable song about moving on. During this song Dan sings “that’s the way I always want to be, forever a lost boy with boney knees.” Within this you feel his pain, his regret, his remorse, his honesty and you realize that this is Real Friends.
Put Yourself Back Together is on my list of albums that everyone should listen to. Bringing me back to the days when bands like New Found Glory, Sum-41, Blink-182 and Yellowcard dominated MTV. It is a perfect follow up to Everyone That Dragged You Here and I personally guarantee that this album pulls at the heartstrings harder than a roundhouse kick from Chuck Norris, more aggressively than a Metallica mosh pit and with more understanding than your best friend.
Overall Rating: 5/5
Recommended Tracks: “Late Nights In My Car,” “Skin Deep” and “Lost Boy”
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