Your Best Friend
Your Best Friend
(Unsigned)
There are very few bands that can sell over 1000 copies of a self-titled self-released album within the first three months of its release, but Your Best Friend just happens to be one of those bands. With a sound that is both traditionally and progressively rock, YBF will keep you on your toes. Their music is a refreshing new twist on what others have been trying to accomplish for quite some time. The difference being that their aggression and straightforward manner isn’t muddled with unnecessary effects or strained vocals. YBF are John Bonham [(guitar, keyboard, vocals) — no, not that John Bonham], Dale Brown (bass, vocals), Steve Sochanek (guitar, vocals), and Nick Edler (drums, vocals). Their arrangements are controlled, their vocals have a great exchange in style, and lyrics are straightforward, hiding nothing. Their sound is organic and their influences can be heard throughout the album.
“Dear Heavenly Father” explores a conversation between the narrator and his father. An older entity tries to show the error of the ways of his creation with a powerful back and forth of recklessness and concern (“Just think and be open, I am only trying to help, Your ‘dying’ habits will lead you to your death”). “Keeping Company” is a slow walk home, a reflection of a loss, and a need to make a pain felt visible if only to one’s self. “Near Perfect Wrists” is a song of redemption, trying to overcome self-loathing to become the person you know you’re meant to be, rejecting those things that held meaning, and people who hold their hand out to you (“I won’t lie, I won’t say I’ve tried, And still you stand strong by my side”).
“You’ll Never Feel Anything Again” is a reminder that that which haunts you is of your own creation. “The Path of an Illogical Liar”, the most uptempo song on the album, is a struggle of trust and faith in yourself and others. “White and Red” tells of the burden of having guilt as close as your shadow. “Close Your Eyes and Drive Away” finds the narrator losing himself in moments of loneliness (“You hide from what you can’t ignore, What happens when you When you’re alone”). “Decimals” finds its narrator placing blame on the one who tried to be there (“When your eyes are closed I wipe them dry, And I place your tears on mine as if I cared, It’s a trick to trick you into thinking, That you’re the one to blame, And I think it’s working”). “I’m Afraid of Myself and Everything I haven’t Done” is about leaving everything behind in search of a greater purpose and the fears of actually getting what you say you want. “Aboriri” is about the regret of having to end something before it’s begun and begging for forgiveness from someone you didn’t have the chance to love.
YBF are currently unsigned, “but [are] seeking a solid, hard working label that will embrace and support the standards of music and presentation that Your Best Friend feels its friends and fans deserve” according to the band. — Naimah Holmes