There are times in life when you come across a band that really impacts your life in a way that you never could have imagined. A time when lyrics leave you weak in the knees and numb to the bone. A time when the fast paced melodies of that bands’ song leaves you with adrenaline rushing through your veins. Real Friends are one of those bands that I stumbled upon one day and fell in love with. While I enjoy pretty much everything they’ve put out, I’ve narrowed it down to a list of ten songs that I think you should check out from this Chicago pop-punk band.

1.) Summer

This one is for the people trying to find strength within themselves to make it through day-to-day life without somebody else (in this context, a past lover that seems to have really screwed them over).

With the lyrics “I miss you like the summer / Right now I think I need you here / But I don’t really need you / I’ll get through the winter without you”, we can see that the deeper meaning is that the winter is equivalent to dark, depressing times, and that they can make it back to happiness (the summer) without this past lover. It’s mixed with the perfect amount of desperation and aggression (“I’m a little worn out / Since you fucking tore me down) to make for an enjoyable listen.

2.) Loose Ends

With awesome guitar riffs and scratchy vocals singing about borderline self-deprecating lyrics, this song is sure to catch your attention. The instruments lie on the heavier side of the pop-punk spectrum, making this an instant Warped Tour hit. In fact, that’s where I first heard this song — on the Warped Tour 2014 compilation album. This song is what really drew me in to Real Friends and made me check out their other stuff.

3.) Late Nights In My Car

One of the things I’ve always loved about Real Friends is how relatable the lyrics felt. While many criticize Real Friends’ plain lyrics, they get straight to the point and are easy to understand. This song negatively reminisces on the past, mentioning that they were “naive and weak” back then.

The most uplifting part of the song comes towards the end, with the lyrics “If you never break / You’ll never know how to put yourself back together” which implies that there’s a reason that we break down sometimes — so that we can build ourselves up to be stronger.

4.) I’ve Given Up On You

This song showcases the softer side of Real Friends. While it features a more laid back electric guitar, the riffs are flawless next to lead singer Dan Lambton’s voice that crescendos from soft to loud. The song is aggressive in the most toned down way possible (if that makes any sense).

There aren’t any backing drums or bass, just the single guitar with Dan’s voice, which is raised. The guitar is still fast paced, but ends up being anticlimactic. Taking the lyrics into consideration, I interpret this as the lead singer showing anger but also being too worn down to be angry.

5.) Empty Picture Frames

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GMO0HC7n9k

While this wasn’t chosen to be a single off of their latest release The Home Inside My Head, it definitely sounds like it would’ve been a hit. Right off the bat, I could hear the growth and maturation just from the opening guitar riff. Dan’s vocals seem to be cleaner, a refreshing change of pace. The lyrics have also matured, become more complicated to interpret, but not impossible.

6.) Sixteen

If you were a loner throughout high school (or life, really), I feel ya. And so does Real Friends. Honestly, this song is incredibly depressing. The lyrics discuss how they’ve been distant since they were sixteen, and how they felt like they’ve been walking through life alone. This song is perfect for a rainy day.

7.) Short Song

The title doesn’t lie — this track plays just below two minutes. In this short song, an important message is delivered. It starts off as a song that seems to be dwelling on the past, but soon turns into a more hopeful message that this is just how life has to be, and that things happen for a reason. It’s oddly uplifting, leaving the listener with a sense of hope.

8.) Mess

This is another song off of their latest release that showcases their development as a band. All of the instruments and vocals are cleaner, yet the edginess is still there. The lyrics are nostalgic (“I’m still a lost boy”) which pokes at their previous releases (many of which include lyrics claiming to be a “lost boy” — see below). This song is about letting go of the past, with the past being a recurring theme throughout all of their albums and EP’s thus far.

9.) Lost Boy

The title says it all — clearly this boy is lost (mentally). The lyrics deal with a lot of depression and what it’s like to not only lose a person (in this case, a love interest) but also apart of yourself. The tone is bitter, but at the end they become accepting with the lines “But that’s the way I always want to be / Forever a lost boy with bony knees”.

10.) …And We’re Just Changing

I hate to end this list with a slightly depressing song, but… I’m doing it anyway. This is the perfect closing track on their first album Maybe This Place Is The Same, And We’re Just Changing. Like the title implies, it’s about change and figuring out where to go from here. The electric guitar is slow, but it builds up with the drums to become a song that represents who Real Friends are as a band — just a group of lost boys.

Check out Real Friends’ Spotify down below!

The post Jen’s Top Tens: My Favorite Songs by Real Friends appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Growing up, I’ve always heard the phrase (and I’m sure you have too), “Don’t judge a book based on its cover!”. Let’s be honest… I definitely do that. Not only with books, but also with music. So in this article, I’m gonna be talking about some of my favorite album artwork, and of course I’ll say a few things about the album as well.

1.) Believers Never Die by Fall Out Boy

This greatest hits album from FOB is one of my favorite album covers. As you can see, it features two skeletons that appear to be hugging each other. There’s various things around the room, including musical instruments, clothing, and books. Paired with the title, “Believer’s Never Die”, this album offers a solemn vibe. The concept of this art is really cool, because clearly the skeletons represent the absence of life, and the title leads us to believe that the music follows us beyond just living. (Kind of a big concept to wrap your head around, I know. Just my interpretation!)

Favorite track: “I’m Like A Lawyer With The Way I’m Always Trying To Get You Off (Me and You)”

2.) Put Yourself Back Together by Real Friends

Real Friends is a Chicago-based pop punk band that has really been growing in the past couple of years. This EP, released in 2013, is kind of a concept album, in a way. Almost every song on this record mentions being broken, specifically broken hearted. This album art really backs up this album concept brilliantly. As you can see, there’s nothing in order in the picture. The phone is destroyed, the shoes look worn out, a glass lamp appears to be shattered. This album really deals with feeling lonely, broken, abandoned, which is perfectly illustrated by the album art.

Favorite track: “I’ve Given Up On You”

3.) Youth by Citizen

This indie-rock/emo album features a heavy and sometimes overwhelmingly somber tone, the lyrics dealing with isolation, angst, and self-doubt. A lot of people in their adolescence deal with emotions similar to this, which is why I think this album is titled “Youth”. The roses, which provide a small range of pinks and reds with the occasional yellow, might possibly represent the entire concept of youth. When roses, die, they shrivel up. In the same token, this could apply to adolescents. They’re budding roses, but paired with the deep concepts of this album, they can quickly shrivel up when exposed to these real life emotions. I think it’s a beautifully simple album cover.

Favorite track: “The Summer”

4.) White Noise by Pvris

A repeated theme throughout this album is a love-hate relationship, as well as supernatural spirits.

This album cover is a little bit more difficult to interpret. The black background could represent darkness. White noise is defined as “noise containing many frequencies with equal intensities”, so I think that the concept of looking in this mirror shows that there is many different “frequencies” and intensities within yourself, within a relationship, within spirits, or whatever else you interpret it to be.

Favorite track: “Smoke”

5.) Stories For Monday by The Summer Set

“Stories For Monday” is a collection of songs that are just that: post-party anthems that you can’t wait to tell your friends about when you get back to school or work on Monday.

The artwork features a single photo of a party, with the only people looking at the camera being the band members. The photo displays everything about your typical party — drinking, people mingling, a crowded room, and that one guy who’s always wearing something USA themed. A lot of the themes in this album deal with living in the now and not giving up. Typically, people at parties tend to let loose and live in the moment. The album and the artwork go together perfectly.

Favorite track: “All Downhill From Here”

6.) The Finer Things by State Champs

State Champs is a five man band that’s made their way up to the top of the pop punk scene. With two EP’s under their belt, they produced this kick-ass record driven by guitars and lead singer Derek Discanio’s incredible voice. This album demands to be played during the summer with all of the windows rolled down. The cover of this album reflects it: the warm color scheme, the person skateboarding down the road, the brightness of the photo. It’s a warm and welcoming cover that previews an amazing pop punk album.

Favorite track: “Nothing’s Wrong”

7.) The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me by Brand New

This album art never fails to give me the chills for obvious reasons. The music on this record itself is chilling, with death and illness being the main themes. What intrigues me the most is that there can be many different interpretations of this photograph. The chips in the house’s paint could take on a homey-vibe, or a feeling of abandonment. The berries could be food or poison. The masks are scary, but one of them is also wearing slippers. Overall, it’s an amazing album with intriguing artwork that opens the mind for exploration.

Favorite track: “Jesus Christ”

8.) Younger Dreams by Our Last Night

“Take me back to younger dreams / when times were easier and we believed” are the lyrics belted back on the title track of this album.

As seen in the picture, a young boy is holding a toy plane and is wearing a mask over his head. A theme in this album reminisces about the dreams and aspirations they had when they were younger. This photo is simple yet powerful paired with the music.

Favorite track: “White Tiger”

9.) You’re Gonna Miss It All by Modern Baseball

What captures me most about this is how simple this cover is. The white space around surrounding the photo leads our eye to the center of attention: the grayed out photo of a little girl walking away from a boy. The title of the album acts as a caption, and the music tells the story.

Favorite track: “Your Graduation”

10.) I’ll Keep You In Mind, From Time To Time by Moose Blood

Best for last! This is probably my favorite album cover of all time. I’ll be honest, the band’s name “Moose Blood” didn’t really appeal to me all that well. But when I saw this album artwork, I knew that I had to give it a listen.

What I love most about it is how candid it is. It’s a real photo of a woman sitting by a campfire poking at the fire. The dark colors mixed with the bright fire are very aesthetically pleasing. Of course, it’s a great listen, but I think my favorite part about it is the album cover.

Favorite track: “Cherry”

The post Jen’s Top Ten’s: Favorite Album Artwork appeared first on KRUI Radio.