Real Friends & With Confidence

For as much as the world has changed since Real Friends first emerged in 2010, the band’s mission hasn’t. The Illinois quintet continue to bleed without apology and write songs that make it okay to feel everything: the ups, the downs, and anything else in between. Rather than shy away from emotion, the group run right towards it with distortion cranked and hearts opened, tightening their careful distillation of pop and punk on each subsequent release.When the band—Dave Knox [lead guitar], Kyle Fasel [bass], Eric Haines [rhythm guitar], and Brian Blake [drums]—welcomed new vocalist Cody Muraro in 2020, the goal stayed the same as they crafted new music for Pure Noise Records. In 2021 they released “Torn in Two” to a nothing but positive response from fans. In 2022 the band is set to release more new music

Better Off, the debut LP from Seattle rock outfit The Home Team, was released in 2018 on Revival Recordings. Produced by Casey Bates (Portugal. The Man, Pierce the Veil, Emarosa), their first LP mixed nostalgic early 00s pop-punk with darker and reflectiveelements. Their relentless DIY work ethic led the band to tour across the US in support of the record, and playing historic venues like the Gramercy Theatre and The Showbox. In 2020, The Home Team hit the studio with Skyler Acord and Seb Barlow to record the follow up to Better Off. Their Sophomore LP, Slow Bloom, finds the band digging into their heavy music roots, mixing 8-string guitar with funk and R&B influences. The album is a representation of the band’s musical development throughout their career: a slow bloom into the band they were meant to be.