Real Friends — Composure (07/13/18)
The emotionally charged pop-punk band out of Illinois has returned with their third full-length album, entitled Composure. Their first two full-lengths with Fearless Records cemented the group as a must-hear in the emo pop-punk sphere, with some of my favourite songs in the genre (“Loose Ends”, “Cover You Up”, “Empty Picture Frames”). With album number three, they’ve put together another strong set of tracks that hold their own in the shadow of their last two. While there’s not much pushing this band forward on these songs, the ten tracks form arguably their most well-rounded album so far.
There’s certainly a brighter feel to this album. Based off the sky-blue cover alone, the album seems more open compared to the indoor-shot covers of the previous two. Lead single, “From The Outside” is the best representation of what changes the band has made with these songs. It’s possibly the cleanest, most pop-leaning track I’ve heard from them, Lambton holding on to that nasally wail but sounding more honed than ever as a frontman. With a colourful video that easily brings up comparisons to last year’s “In Bloom” by Neck Deep, the pre-album release showed that the band was taking a more polished approach to the pop-punk formula.
While they definitely smoothed out the edges on this album, the guys have not lost their grit. They show plenty of energy on tracks like “Me First”, “Get By”, and “Take a Hint”, the latter and closing track providing a wonderfully powerful and hopeful finish. “Stand Steady” puts out one of the stronger hooks and the title track has a familiar melody to its chorus that pulls me off my feet more than any other moment on the album. A few of the tracks don’t give me much desire to return to. “Unconditional Love” plays the role of heartbreak anthem for the album, Lambton having broken up with his long-time girlfriend between records, but the song doesn’t manage to make me feel any sympathy for the vocalist. “Hear What You Want” and “Ripcord” similarly fail to make me feel much. They’re not terrible songs by any means but they have very little replay value, bringing nothing noteworthy to the genre.
It’s great to see the guys have bounced back with an album that overall, is a step forward. Lambton’s troubles with mental health are, again, a major part of their writing, but they continue to work through the issues and create honest pop punk that so many fans can relate to. 7.5/10
