For as much as the world has changed since Real Friends first emerged in 2010, the band’s mission hasn’t. The Illinois quintet continue to bleed without apology and write songs that make it okay to feel everything: the ups, the downs, and anything else in between. Rather than shy away from emotion, the group run right towards it with distortion cranked and hearts opened, tightening their careful distillation of pop and punk on each subsequent release. When the band—Dave Knox (lead guitar), Kyle Fasel(bass), Eric Haines (rhythm guitar), and Brian Blake (drums) —welcomed vocalist Cody Muraro in 2020, the goal stayed the same as they crafted new music for Pure Noise Records.
Over the years, Real Friends have forged and strengthened a deep connection with fans. The group’s 2014 full-length debut, Maybe This Place Is the Same and We’re Just Changing, marked a turning point. Rock Sound named it one of the “Top 50 Albums of the Year.” 2016’s The Home Inside My Head maintained this momentum with further acclaim and sold out shows. In 2018, Composure incited applause from Music Connection, Alternative Press, Substream Magazine, New Noise, and Billboard who described it as “raw.” To date, they’ve also amassed over 100 million streams and counting. In 2021, they turned the page on a new chapter with the singles “Nervous Wreck” and “Storyteller.”
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In the fall of 2010 bassist Kyle Fasel "wasn't happy" with the music he was working on and wished to start over. Fasel called lead guitarist Dave Knox and the pair soon started talking about the goals they wished to achieve. Fasel didn't expect it to lead anywhere. Vocalist Dan Lambton, who was friends with Knox, received a call from Fasel, asking if he would like to join him and Knox. They were soon joined by drummer Aaron Schuck. The band recorded its debut EP, This Is Honesty, in the spring of 2011. Following the release of the EP, the band began playing shows around the Midwest. The group soon realized that it "didn't feel right, playing the songs they currently had. Almost forcing ourselves into sound." They had a meeting and came to the conclusion to start over. During this period of change, Fasel and Knox were playing in The Fastest Kid Alive. Shortly afterwards, Schuck was replaced by Brian Blake. Blake had emailed the band after he found out they needed a drummer.
Real Friends didn't have a permanent second guitarist, often having their friends to substitute. Eric Haines soon joined as a rhythm guitarist. Until Haines joined Fasel and Knox would typically write the songs and they didn't have "another guitarist's opinion", according to Fasel. Shortly after the release of the Everyone That Dragged You Here EP, the band's popularity increased and the audience at their shows also increased. The band later released the Put Yourself Back Together EP. Reviewing the EP for Rock Sound, Andy Biddulph said noted that he would not be "surprised" if the band was "mixing it with the big boys in a year's time". In November, the group supported The Wonder Years on their UK shows, included UK Warped Tour.
Fearless signed the band in December 2013. The band were initially hesitant to sign to a label but called Fearless "different. They made it feel more like a family." The group "still wanted full control of our band" while Fearless would help with marketing and distribution, according to Fasel. The band recorded their debut studio album in February with producer Seth Henderson. The band released its debut studio album, Maybe This Place Is the Same and We're Just Changing on July 22, 2014. The album sold over 10,300 copies, charting at number 24 on the Billboard 200. The band played on the 2014 Vans Warped Tour supporting the album's release, appearing on the Journey's Stage. More Acoustic Song EP was released for Record Store Day in April 2015. One of the tracks, an acoustic version of "Late Nights in My Car", features Kevin Jordan from This Wild Life.
Fearless Records announced that a new Real Friends record would be released on their label in 2016, through a post on their official Twitter account, which was made on December 22, 2015. Prior to the Fearless announcement, the band had made several references to the recording of a new album throughout 2015 on their Facebook and Twitter pages. Real Friends finished recording their second full-length album on the road, in February 2016. Prior to the album's announcement, the band began to play a new song entitled "Colder Quicker" during their live sets. On April 1, 2016, the band announced the title of their new album as being The Home Inside My Head, along with the album's release date, cover art and track listing. Additionally, on the same day the band released a music video for "Colder Quicker". The album was released on May 27, 2016.
On November 16, 2017 the band released a single entitled "Get By". On June 18, 2018 the band announced the new album 'Composure' set for release on July 13, 2018 to their home town fans during an RSVP Acoustic session. It was preceded two weeks prior by a single entitled "From the Outside", which was accompanied by a music video.
Style and influences
Real Friends has been described as pop punk and emo, as well as emo pop punk. Punknews reviewer said "If American Football went totally pop-punk, Real Friends would be the result." Vocalist Dan Lambton has been described as a cross between The Starting Line's Kenny Vasoli, The Wonder Years' Dan Campbell and The Dangerous Summer's AJ Perdomo. Bassist Kyle Fasel has cited American Football, Dashboard Confessional, The Early November, Jimmy Eat World, The Promise Ring, Saves the Day, The Starting Line, Spitalfield, Taking Back Sunday and Thursday as influences.
Bassist Kyle on the often used phrase "sleepy eyes and bony knees":
I think there’s something that needs to be explained on our end here. We released a new EP on June 4th titled “Put Yourself Back Together.” There are some references in the songs that mention sleepy eyes and bony knees. There have been some negative comments regarding the amount of times we mention those two things. I want to make this post to explain the detailed meanings of both of those subjects. I assure all of you out there that we would never put something in multiple songs that doesn’t have a great amount of meaning. These songs are my life summed up into some verses and choruses. These songs are my therapy, and that goes for the four other dudes in my band too. So here we go….
Sleepy eyes refers to a time in my life in 2011. I was going through a very messy break up which then lead to a love triangle and that lead me to be depressed. The girl that I was in love with since I was eighteen had found someone else that she grew to love. She told me that she still loved me as well though. This lead to lots of sleepless nights and some weight loss as well. Thirty pounds of weight loss to be exact. Listen to our song “Floorboards” for more details on that whole situation. Well anyway, this situation and some other ones over the past few years have led me to not being able to sleep at night. I had resorted to sleeping pills in 2011 when I was depressed. I also consider myself a night owl in general. I haven’t gone to bed before 2 am in years. But mainly sleepy eyes is something that I think we have all been through in life. It’s about those nights when you’re so overworked and have so much going on that you can’t fall asleep, even if you are physically tired. Not only do I write these songs for my own therapy, but I would hope that some of you could find some peace in them. So of course I’m going to reference this subject multiple times. And that is sleepy eyes.
Bony knees is a subject that pops up in a lot of our songs as well. I will keep it general at first here. I in fact do physically have bony knees. But I will surely say that there is a way deeper meaning behind these bony knees. It kind of all dates back to my depression in 2011. Like I stated before there was some weight loss, which made these knees a little more bony than before. I also found myself physically and mentally down on my knees while going through depression. Even after 2011, after I started feeling better, I would still find myself down and out on my bony knees physically and mentally. We all go through dirt in life and lot of times it makes us fall on our knees for awhile. I can easily say that dirt has put me on my knees more than I want to say. But the beautiful part about falling on your knees is getting back up. And that’s the main point of the bony knees reference. You have to get up in life and move on. We have all been there and we will all be there again. When I write bony knees in a song it reminds me of how I put all of the bullshit behind me and moved on. And that is bony knees.
I just wanted to clear this all up. I don’t want anyone to ever think that we are using this as some sort of gimmick or something. We keep things real and it will always be that way. I hope you can all now find deeper meaning and connection with sleepy eyes and bony knees.
Floorboards
Real Friends Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You told me everything eventually works out
That's what I'll keep telling myself
I don't wanna be
jealous of the trees next to my neighbor's garage anymore
I'll just lie in the mess I made
Try not to forget everything I said
Just another week
and I'll pick myself up off my bony knees
I guess it took a year to realize that what I had was
Everything I needed to feel okay
But still I've got these sleepy eyes
That have seen too much for me to handle
I'm not gonna lie
My skin and bones have seen some better days
Thirty pounds ago seemed like a more stable place to stay
I'm not gonna lie
My skin and bones have seen some better days
I'm not gonna lie
My skin and bones have seen some better days
Just another week
and I'll pick myself up off my bony knees
I guess it took a year to realize that what I had was
Everything I needed to feel okay
But still I've got these sleepy eyes
That have seen too much for me to handle
There's no point to the floorboards in my house
Nothing feels right
And I can't stand up without you
Nothing feels right
Just another week
and I'll pick myself up off my bony knees
I guess it took a year to realize that what I had was
Everything I needed to feel okay
But still I've got these sleepy eyes
That have seen too much for me to handle
The song Floorboards by Real Friends is a melancholic and soulful exploration of the emotional turmoil that the lead singer experiences. The lyrics evoke a sense of intense vulnerability and heartbreak as the singer laments their current state of mind. The opening lines "You said I didn't cry out to the clouds for nothing / You told me everything eventually works out" suggest that the singer is seeking some sort of reassurance and comfort from someone they trust.
As the song progresses, the lyrics convey the singer's sense of despair and lack of hope. The line "There's no point to the floorboards in my house / Nothing feels right / And I can't stand up without you" showcases how the singer is struggling to find a sense of stability or comfort without the presence of a certain someone in their life.
Despite the bleakness of the lyrics, there is also a sense of resilience and determination that comes through in the chorus. The repeated refrain of "Just another week and I'll pick myself up off my bony knees / I guess it took a year to realize that what I had was / Everything I needed to feel okay" demonstrates the singer's willingness to find a way forward, even if the journey may be difficult.
Line by Line Meaning
You said I didn't cry out to the clouds for nothing
You reassured me that my pain and struggles were not meaningless and that everything will eventually work out
You told me everything eventually works out
You gave me hope that my situation will improve and things will get better with time
That's what I'll keep telling myself
I will try to remain optimistic and remind myself of your words of encouragement
I don't wanna be jealous of the trees next to my neighbor's garage anymore
I don't want to compare myself to others and feel inferior or resentful towards their seemingly perfect lives
I'll just lie in the mess I made
I'll accept the consequences of my mistakes and try to find peace in my current state of chaos
Don't let me fall off the edge and break down
Please support me emotionally and prevent me from reaching a breaking point
Try not to forget everything I said
Please remember my words and the significance they hold for me
Just another week and I'll pick myself up off my bony knees
I have hit rock bottom but I am determined to recover and get back on my feet soon
I guess it took a year to realize that what I had was Everything I needed to feel okay
It took me a long time to appreciate the good things in my life that I previously took for granted
But still I've got these sleepy eyes That have seen too much for me to handle
I am exhausted and overwhelmed from all the struggles and hardships I have faced
I'm not gonna lie My skin and bones have seen some better days
I am physically and mentally worn out from everything I have been through
Thirty pounds ago seemed like a more stable place to stay
I was happier and healthier in the past and I wish I could go back to that time
There's no point to the floorboards in my house
I feel lost and hopeless, like the very foundation of my life is pointless
Nothing feels right And I can't stand up without you
I feel completely lost and helpless without your support
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Brian Blake, Daniel Lambton, David Knox, Eric Haines, Kyle Fasel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
SoupyKid12
This song along with "Anchor Down" definitely have the potential to become classics within the pop punk genre years from now. (They kinda are in my book already).
I'm proud of the success these guys have had. They're one of my favorite bands. I just wish Kyle would go back to this type of writing style for the majority of their songs:
-Catchy, Honest, Authentic, not TOO sappy or borderline melodramatic (like "Sixteen" or "Mess" for example), and relatable to/for a lot of people.
It's definitely a hard balance to find. Especially within the Pop Punk genre (which is known for being overly optimistic prior to the 2010s).
But it can be done. The Wonder Years, Neck Deep, Citizen, The Story So Far, and Turnover are bands that have all utilized this tactic, and have be able to pull it off very well for the most part.
Real Friends, Knuckle Puck, Modern Baseball, City Lights, Paige, State Champs and others are also bands that have attempted utilizing this tactic as well, and for a lot of fans, seem to be hit or miss depending on the album or song.
Their (RF's) new album was fairly okay for the most part I found. Much more enjoyable then their debut IMO. My favorite tracks on it are:
-Stay In One Place
-Empty Picture Frames
-Isolating Everything
-Keep Lying To Me
But my all time favorite RF songs are:
-Floorboards
-Anchor Down
-Lost Boy
-Cover You Up
-I Think I'm Moving Forward
Jimmy Abdallah
THIS BAND IS GIVING ME THAT AUTUMN VIBE
Scott Logan
You guys have helped me through so much man, your music has made me realise who really is important and who isn't. I now know that I shouldn't ever let girls mess with my emotions, because they aren't worth my time. My friends are all I really need right now, and if they cant help me, then the music you guys make certainly will. So i'd like to say thank you for everything you lot have done for me over the past couple of years, although your unaware of it and may not even see this message. I don't know where I'd be without your music. Seen real friends live twice and it was the best experiences of my life, hopefully you visit the UK again soon and if so, come right back to Newcastle, we love you up here.
FIEUZE
Scott Logan hope you are still pop punk after this time
Kyle Salazar
Lol
Eduardo V. Chávez
preach man, same right here
Jared Fasshauer
This song will never get old
Blinding End
This band is just amazing!!! Definitely watching you guys at Warped.
flamingwater28
Proud to say I grew up around these guys. All those shows that these guys played in my friends basement! They got so much attention so quickly. So proud.
D Rhodes
These guys are doing so well for an unsigned band. Keep doing your thing.
Aaron Perdue
Saw them live, it was a Pretty good set, nice guys