Just Friends: Looking Forward In A Changing World

A lot of music nowadays does not have a genre. Of course, bands have been mixing genres since music started. Pop star KATY PERRY‘s second studio album, One Of The Boys, was released back in 2008, with an edgier pop/rock sound. Even RIHANNA played the rockstar, with help from SLASH, all the way back in 2009 with her fourth album Rated R. However, it could be argued that with the mainstream rise of bands like TWENTY ONE PILOTS. We’ve seen the rise of emo rap with the help of artists like the late rapper LIL PEEP. More bands have become confident in mixing genres to varying degrees of success. Thankfully for Californian band, JUST FRIENDS, they hit all the right notes.

As guitarist, Brandon Downum explains, “there are songs that have started as a certain genre [in the writing process] that have then switched over. I’d write a ballad progression, and play it that way, and then I’d play it to the other [band members]. Then [vocalist] Sam [Kless] might suggest ‘can we try it instead in this style?’ and it ends up being more poppy, instead of a ballad RnB tune.”

JUST FRIENDS have eight members, so it makes sense that everyone’s tastes would be different. “We like to listen to a wide variety of music. I love metal, and so does [drummer] Ben [Dolon], whereas [bassist] Kevin [Prochnow] loves country. Sam‘s really into hip-hop, and he has a really good ear for bands that I’ve never heard of. [Co-vocalist Brianda] ‘Brond’ [Goyos Leon] and guitarist [Matt] ‘Yanko’ [Yankovich] have a library that we listen to on tour. We feed off of each others’ interests and that informs a lot of the songs we end up writing.”

However, Downum goes on to explain that people were still pigeonholing the band back in the early days. “When we released [debut album] Rock To The Rhythm, people used to call us ‘ska’ a lot of the time. We used to not like it, but looking back on it now, JUST FRIENDS will always play the music that we like and we want to listen to ourselves. We don’t really claim a genre.” He goes on to say that despite this, people still ask what genre JUST FRIENDS are.

This makes sense, in a way. Change is not always easy. We add that bands nowadays are expected to have one main genre. Downum agrees. “I love having the freedom to not be stuck in one specific genre. It’s not like, ‘oh, we’re a pop/punk band and we can’t release a song because it’s not pop/punk.’ I like seeing bands not tether themselves to genres.”

Of course, JUST FRIENDS flex their genre-mixing muscles on new album, Hella. The name Hella was originally going to be Hella Nasty. “We changed the name to Hella because it’s an staple word of the Bay [Area], and just Northern California in general. If you go down to Southern California, and you’re from Northern California, and you start saying ‘hella’ a lot, then they’ll ask you why you say that all the time. So it is a distinct lingual thing. We’re from Northern California, and we want to represent the Bay Area. So, it is a homage to how we grew up.”

Their home has also inspired their sound. “We all grew up in the suburbs. We’d listen to the hardcore scene as that was very big when we were growing up. But we would also listen to a lot of Bay Area rap, and we’d like to pay homage to our hometown. It’s a big melting pot out here.”

The twelve-track album has collaborations with American rapper, LIL B, who is well-known in the Bay Area, as well as hip-hop artists HOBO JOHNSON and NATE CURRY. LIL B and HOBO JOHNSON feature on JUST FRIENDS‘ single, Basic. The song is a mixture of rap, ska and pop. It is an upbeat song that could be played on a sunny, summer day. The video is filmed like it is on an old VHS tape, further emphasising the hedonistic feeling of youth. The inspiration behind it was “chosen family.”

Downum explains it in more detail. “Sam [Kless] had the lyrics in his head. There was a lot going on in all our lives, personally. We felt comfortable that we had each other to lean on. We knew when to not pay attention to the harsh noise of what is going on that might have a negative impact on your mindset. The word Basic is a term today that is used as an insult, like, ‘oh, you’ve sold out.’ But it’s ok that you like what you like. We shouldn’t put people down for it. You should just do you, and be around the people that let you express yourself.”

The world is rapidly changing around us, especially as we very slowly – and cautiously – recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, both physically, socially, mentally and economically. Live music is coming back in full swing, much to the delight and joy of fans, music artists, and their crew as some sense of normality is resumed. However, there have also been quite a few hiccups along the way, with tours getting cut short.  In uncertain times like these, we need to lean on each other. We need that feeling of community. What we need most is music, and thankfully JUST FRIENDS are here to help, with their melting pot of everything. They have a song for every mood. And in a rapidly changing world, that is what we need to help us look forward.

Hella is out now via Pure Noise Records.

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