Two Friends

American electronic dance duo Two Friends produces radiant, high-energy tracks in the mold of the Chainsmokers and Cheat Codes. An early remix of Lana Del Rey’s “Born to Die” helped establish their profile, after which they issued several EPs during the latter half of the 2010s, among them 2017’s Out of Love. The pair rounded out the decade with a consistent run of singles and featured appearances, one of which—“Useless” with Emily Vaughn—appeared on their identically titled 2021 EP. Additional singles spotlighting Fitz, Mod Sun, and Bryce Vine soon followed, while 2023 marked their first entries on the U.S. Dance charts via “More Than Yesterday” and “If Only I.”

Fitting their moniker, the project originated with Eli Sones and Matthew Halper, whose friendship dates back to middle school. They started collaborating on productions toward the close of high school, merging Halper’s background in guitar, choir, and music theory with Sones’ hip-hop DJ sets. Even after separating for college, the two kept recording, turning out remixes and launching the mix series Friendly Sessions. Their debut EP, You (Me), surfaced in 2013 and included “Feel Me” featuring Priyanka Atreya alongside “Your Song” featuring I Am Lightyear. Two subsequent singles recorded with Jeff Sontag—“Sedated” and “Brighter”—echoed the house anthems of Swedish House Mafia. In 2014 the duo released another pair of collaborations, this time with Breach the Summit, titled “Our Names in Lights” and “Long Way Home.”

Following their 2015 college graduation, Two Friends resurfaced in 2016 with the rock-inflected singles “Forever” and “Overdose.” Their second EP, Out of Love, arrived on Spinnin’ Records the following year and was succeeded by the standalone tracks “Emily,” “While We’re Dreaming,” and “Just a Kid.” The duo maintained momentum through remixes for Charlie Puth, Dua Lipa, and additional artists while continuing to drop their own singles and joint releases. In 2021 they unveiled the Useless EP, whose title cut again paired them with Emily Vaughn and which also housed “This Will Be My Year” featuring Point North; that same year saw the arrival of “Love Love” with Ferris and “Life’s Too Short” with Fitz of Fitz and the Tantrums. Further singles appeared throughout 2022, among them joint efforts with Mod Sun and Bryce Vine. By 2023 the pair reached the U.S. Dance chart Top 40 with “More Than Yesterday” featuring Russell Dickerson and “If Only I” featuring Loud Luxury and Bebe Rexha.