“I’m telling lie after lie to myself, I’ll never escape from this hell.“
From growing up listening to the likes of Green Day, blink-182, and Cartel on MTV and MySpace in the 2000s, to blowing out the speakers of my first car blasting bands such as Transit, State Champs, and Neck Deep throughout my late teens and early twenties in the 2010s—pop punk has long been a staple part of the soundtrack of my life. While I never fully stopped listening to the genre, I do think that after a certain point in time it felt like I had grown out of and past it. My biggest criticism of pop punk has always been that the music I grew listening to didn’t grow up with me, becoming stagnant and stale. The angsty and cathartic lyricism that resonated with me when I was younger no longer clicked with me, especially as I found myself delving further into heavier, harder hitting music.
For me, Real Friends is one of those bands that has a lot of nostalgia attached to them. Tracks like “Late Nights In My Car” and “I’ve Given Up On You” from the 2013 album Put Yourself Back Together were exactly the type of moody and anthemic sad bangers that twenty year old me needed to help cope with the emotional aches and pains of growing older. So when presented with the opportunity to review There’s Nothing Worse Than Too Late, my interest was piqued, and I felt the desire to revisit Real Friends despite not having listened to them in quite some time.
While the group mutually parted ways with original vocalist Dan Lambton (now of rationale.) in 2020, the following year saw the arrival of Cody Muraro (formerly one half of Youth Fountain), with whom they released the Torn In Two EP. Wanting to familiarize myself with this current era of the group, I gave the 2021 EP a listen ahead of my first spin of There’s Nothing Worse Than Too Late. The front half of Torn In Two consists of five tracks, with the back half of the EP being reimagined versions of those same songs. From the switch to more spacious, electronic and effects-based instrumentals on the reimagined takes of singles “Nervous Wreck” and “Storyteller”, to the full band version of the melancholic “Teeth”, I was impressed with the creative effort put into recreating the tracks of the EP to help craft a compelling body of work, and I was curious to see whether that same energy had carried over to There’s Nothing Worse Than Too Late.
The EP starts off on a strong note, leading with infectious 2022 single “Tell Me You’re Sorry”. Released just over a year ago, this track is pure, catchy pop punk, with an earworm of a chorus that is sure to have listeners and showgoers singing along. The song is additionally bolstered by a prominent bass tone courtesy of Kyle Fasel and a dynamic drum performance from Brian Blake as it explores the struggle of wanting closure in the form of an apology from someone who’s wronged you, “even if [they’re] lying through [their] teeth”.
The first new track from There’s Nothing Worse Than Too Late comes in the form of “The Damage Is Done”. Kicking off with a brief drum intro, the second track feels like a natural followup to the themes initially presented by “Tell Me You’re Sorry”. While the first track of the EP begs an apology from the one who has hurt you, “The Damage Is Done” states the futility of such a thing—“It’s too late, just move on. We can’t right all these wrongs, so I’m gone”. While the second verse of the song suffers a bit from an awkward delivery, Muraro’s delivery of the chorus and bridge/outro feel particularly smooth and cathartic. Additionally, the guitar tandem of Dave Knox (lead) and Eric Haines (rhythm) helps to flesh out the track, providing a nice variety of textures for the vocals to work off of.
Second and third singles “Always Lose” and “Six Feet” help round out the first half of There’s Nothing Worse Than Too Late. Despite finding the lyricism of “Always Lose” to be just a bit too melodramatic in contrast with its upbeat sound, the track is full of some nice vocal harmonies between Muraro and Knox. “Six Feet” makes its message loud and clear from the jump, expressing the simple desire of wanting to feel loved and appreciated while one is still alive. The delivery of the chorus feels a bit clunky, albeit charmingly so, with its faster presentation offering a nice counter to the smoother flowing verses and pre-chorus.
The halfway mark of There’s Nothing Worse Than Too Late continues with the theme of trying to move on from a relationship gone sour with “I Don’t Have To Do That Anymore”. Stylistically and functionally similar to the aforementioned “Teeth” from Torn In Two, the midpoint of the EP slows and strips things down with lovely guitar and vocal performances all around. With “I Don’t Have To Do That Anymore”, closure comes in the form of accepting that a toxic relationship has ended, and the sense of relief that comes with it. The song provides a welcome bit of breathing room in the midst of the EP before the pace picks back up with the final two new tracks.
Once more into the fray as Real Friends yet again dives head first into relationship troubles. The opening lines of “Strangers” both directly call back to the title of the previous EP—”two bodies in a bed torn in two, knowing damn well this’ll all end soon”—as well as sets the stage and presents the main thesis of the song. “Strangers” laments the loss of an emotional connection to a partner/lover despite there being a continued physical connection, knowing that it will inevitably lead to the dissolution of the relationship. As always, the catchy chorus is a standout point of the song. At this point in the EP, however, with the exception of “I Don’t Have To Do That Anymore”, things are starting to seem a bit monotonous. The repetitive use of the same song structure and production tricks become more evident with each track, and is only emphasized by repeated listens. There’s a tiny bit of grit in the vocals at the end of the bridge that is a surprising touch, but it’s too brief to really be impactful.
And finally, we arrive at the proper closer of the tracklist, with “I’m Not Ready” ending the EP on a note as strong as the one it started on. From thoughts and feelings stemming from insecurity and self-doubt, to the lies that we tell ourselves that help keep us mentally trapped, “I’m Not Ready” is an honest track about the mental purgatory one can find themselves in when they’re their own worst enemy. The spot of grittier vocals that were teased on “Strangers” return in a much more substantial way on this song’s bridge and outro, with the harsh vocals layered over the repeating lyric “I’m telling lie after lie to myself, I’ll never escape from this hell.” The further exploration of mixing more textured vocals in with Muraro’s clean tones is very much welcomed, and I only wish that they had been more frequently and prominently utilized throughout the record. Complete with the trademark catchy, anthemic chorus typical of the genre, “I’m Not Ready” helps bring the record back full circle, tying the seven tracks that make up the bulk of the EP up neatly. There’s Nothing Worse Than Too Late doesn’t end quite there, however, filling out the end of the tracklist with acoustic versions of “Tell Me You’re Sorry” and “Always Lose”.
While There’s Nothing Worse Than Too Late often finds itself treading familiar sonic ground, to an extent, I do find a certain amount of comfort in that familiarity. Whereas before I might have found the sound derivative, in light of the mainstream pop punk revival of recent years, I welcome the return to the straightforward and uncomplicated sound of years past. The strengths Real Friends have displayed on There’s Nothing Worse Than Too Late are ones they should continue to exploit—namely the catchy, anthemic and emotive lyricism on relatable subject matters, and the stellar instrumental performances from each of the long tenured members of the group. The second chapter of this current era of Real Friends has put forth a solid body of work that should have something to offer for fans of the band and genre both new and old. At the same time, however, if Real Friends wants to get ahead of the curve they’ll need to figure out how to push the boundaries of both the genre and themselves in order to keep their sound fresh.
7/10
Starting in March you can find Real Friends across North America on their co-headlining tour with fellow Illinois pop punkers Knuckle Puck, and with support from Bearings and Between You & Me. Tour dates and links to purchase tickets can be found here. There’s Nothing Worse Than Too Late is out this Friday February 24th via Pure Noise Records and can be pre-ordered here.