Real Friends

Chicago punk-pop outfit Real Friends achieved breakthrough recognition during the mid-2010s through the high-energy, emo-infused style showcased on 2014's Maybe This Place Is the Same and We're Just Changing along with 2016's The Home Inside My Head. Once the band shifted toward more introspective territory on their third full-length Composure, they parted company with longtime frontman Dan Lambton before ushering in a fresh chapter via the 2021 Torn in Two EP.

The group first assembled in 2010 within Tinley Park, Illinois—a South Side Chicago suburb—when bassist and lyricist Kyle Fasel teamed with guitarist Dave Knox. Drawing primary influence from Brand New and the Starting Line, Real Friends crafted reflective, emotionally charged material whose lyrics frequently tackled themes of physical and mental health as well as the difficulties of moving forward. Completing the initial lineup were vocalist Dan Lambton and drummer Aaron Schuck; the quartet issued their self-released debut EP This Is Honesty in 2011. Brian Blake soon took over on drums in place of Schuck, while Eric Haines came aboard as second guitarist. Three additional self-released EPs followed in 2012, and the 2013 Put Yourself Back Together EP appeared simultaneously through Synergy Records, Banquet Records, and Glamour Kills.

After inking a deal with Fearless Records, Real Friends delivered their first full-length, Maybe This Place Is the Same and We're Just Changing, in 2014. The record quickly climbed to number 24 on the Billboard 200 and earned the band a slot on that year's Vans Warped Tour. Fearless issued the limited one-sided EP More Acoustic Songs for Record Store Day in April 2015. Early the following year the group tracked their sophomore album, which delved further into personal and emotionally intense territory; The Home Inside My Head surfaced in May 2016. Released in 2018, Composure marked the final Real Friends project to feature lead singer Dan Lambton, whose departure was later filled by Cody Muraro of Youth Fountain and Parting Ways. Now aligned with Pure Noise, the band inaugurated its next era through the 2021 EP Torn in Two. Around that release came several smaller projects, among them acoustic renditions and alternate reworkings of tracks such as "Nervous Wreck," "Storyteller," and "Teeth."