Friends Of Friends- Deep Search (self-released)
Florida sure has been pumping out the great bands as of late (Only Thieves, Mouse Fire, Look Mexico), Friends of Friends from Tallahassee being another one to add to that growing list. Possessing a lot of southern punk pride and varied influences all over the hardcore/punk map, this is one of the most eclectic and interesting discs of the year.
Playing guitar driven rock, these guys keep shifting gears from jangly indie rock (ala Archers Of Loaf) to rowdier pop punk akin to Dear Landlord to quieter moments that meander with a post-punk feel. The intricate guitar work here is amazing, and that combined with the dual vocals and shout-a-long choruses makes this instantly memorable, the sort of songs that linger in your head hours after you turn the disc off.
Friends of Friends aren't trying to reinvent the wheel here, not trying to shatter the order of things or do anything earth shattering. They're perfectly alright taking a rocknroll template and putting their gritty punk rock spin on it in a way that manages to come off mature while still retaining a youthful, energetic feel. Obvious parallels would be drawn at the No Idea camp here, but that alone wouldn't exactly descibe how truly great this is; successfully managing to remind you of your punknroll favorites, Friends Of Friends retain a sound all their own, producing one of the years best listens.
The band are offering this disc for a free download (link is below) for a limited time. Act quick- this is so, so worth it...
Hear it: http://www.myspace.com/tallyfriends
Buy it: http://www.beartrappr.com/friends-of-friends
Free Download: http://powerplantind.com/FOF
