Promising to interweave elements of brass band theatrics, rhythm and blues, funk, and hard rock, the sophomore release from San Francisco-based “Just Friends” already sounds like an intriguing mix of styles before the opening track, “Love Letter”, gets underway.
Beginning the album with a bright mix of surfy-jazz chords, dreamy alto lead vocals, and rapped backing vocals that sound straight out of a London-based grime track. It’s upbeat and it’s catchy, and most importantly, it already sounds unique straight from the start. The band claim to take influence from Rage Against the Machine and Dua Lipa, though on a first listen it sounds like Caro Emerald or Morcheeba decided to collaborate with various rappers and throw in the occasional rock and roll crescendo.
Throughout the first act of the album, there’s not much to be found of the “brass band theatrics” previously claimed; yet it remains an interesting mix. The vibe remains fairly chilled out and relaxed throughout this time, though admittedly the fourth track, “Fever”, is on first impression an audible weak point in the album so far; though it does grow as the track progresses.
Lead single “Basic” picks the mood up even higher, as a celebration of being “basic”. Strikingly, a strange thing to celebrate; though marketing the track anthem celebrating friendship and the simple things may make it more of a relatable anthem, the lyrics about exploration, summer nights, and enjoying the making of good memories seem to speak for themselves. The followup track to this, “Hot”, is where listeners can finally hear the funk elements from the background of previous songs come to the foreground, along with a heavier guitar riff and drumbeat reminiscent of Just Friends’ influences, Rage Against the Machine. The album continues towards this end pace as the “Hot” begins to “Sizzle”, picking up some speed with more frenetic and chaotic playing that captivates an audience into wondering when the crescendo will finally hit.
As the album begins to draw to a close, it is surprising to remember that the opening act of “Hella” was so chilled out and laid back; the brass section of “Just Friends” finally makes a spectacular leap up to the top of the mix in “Stupid”, the funky crescendo to the energy built up in the previous three songs before the genre and atmosphere make another sudden change wth “Bad Boy”, a lighter electronic track reminiscent of Yungblud. So many sound changes might sound strange for an album barely over half an hour long, but surprisingly, it does not sound confusing at all. There is something about the the different elements build up in the overall sound that still makes the album sound like Just Friends even when the atmosphere changes, showing that they are definitely a band that know their sound and pay with it well. As the album draws to a close that is simultaneously relaxing and chaotic, it is immediately tempting to go back to the start and listen to the album again – which is of course always a good sign. It will be exciting to see where Just Friends go with their sound next.