I had first heard about Real Friends with the release of their second EP Everyone That Dragged You Here back in January and was absolutely taken aback by how amazing it was. Ever since then, I’ve been keeping a close eye on Real Friends from Chicago, Illinois, waiting for any sign of a new release. You can imagine my excitement when the new EP Acoustic Songs was announced and was going to be put up for free download. The title is obviously not very creative, but then again it gets right to the point and there’s no need for a catchy title when only one new or original work is offered.
I’m not going to lie here. This review isn’t going to be completely unbiased seeing as how I’m sitting here with over 100+ plays on Everyone That Dragged You Here and wearing a Real Friends shirt but I’ll give you my honest opinion. My excitement was slightly extinguished when I saw that there would only be 2 new songs and 3 re-recorded songs. I was hoping for a whole new collection but since it’s free and only 4 months after their last release I’ll let it slide.
The first song is the only new original song that comes off of Acoustic Songs but it is nothing less than I was expecting. The song is extremely catchy and a great sing along but is ridiculously short. The song was over just as I was getting into it. The next three songs are all re-recorded pieces with no drastic changes (other than being acoustic). Nothing special but still a fun listen. The final song is definitely the highlight of the EP. When I first saw they were covering Brand New’s “Mix Tape” I was a little doubtful. It’s an odd choice for a cover but they certainly pulled it off. The cover is flawless and would make Brand New proud.
Even though Acoustic Songs is excellent, it’s very short and still only includes one new, original song. I was hoping for more but the cover is a great addition. The EP is something any Real Friends fan has to listen to, especially because it’s free of charge. It has lived up to my expectations and will tide me over until their next great release.
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