REAL FRIENDS IN WASHINGTON DC

BY ANNA PORCELLA

This October, five-piece pop punk band Real Friends released Blue Hour, their third full-length album, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the band. The record was released entirely independent from any label, their first full-length record in six years, and in addition, it’s the band’s first full-length release with Cody Muraro on vocals since he joined in 2020. Real Friends has never been afraid to wear their hearts on their sleeves, but Blue Hour is perhaps their heaviest and most emotional record yet, in which they “fully embraced being an emo band.” Heavy sonically, lyrically, and thematically, Blue Hour is a true marker of their growth as a band. In honor of the new era and new album, the band embarked on the Real Friends Forever And Ever And Ever And Ever Tour across the US, bringing along with them rising scene stars Can’t Swim, Carly Cosgrove, and Slow Joy. The tour arrived amongst dreary weather in Washington DC at the 9:30 Club this Wednesday. 

Real Friends, consisting of Dave Knox (lead guitar), Kyle Fasel (bass) Eric Haines (rhythm guitar), Brian Blake (drums), and the aforementioned Cody Muraro on vocals, has a way of making the biggest of rooms feel as intimate as basement gigs. The band’s mission has always been to form a community, where people can truly let go and feel their emotions. During the last chorus of “Teeth,” Muraro asks the crowd if it’s okay if he joins them. A close-knit circle forms around him in the center of the pit, where he finishes out “Teeth” and “I’ve Given Up on You.” Muraro’s emotional delivery of the lyrics are responded with equal enthusiasm from the crowd, as he turns to make eye contact with as many people as he can. 

The biggest theme surrounding Blue Hour is grief - Fasel, one of the primary lyricists of the band - explains to the crowd before playing “Waiting Room,” a number about his father’s passing earlier that year. Not many dry eyes were left in the audience; with the raw emotion of their lyrics and cathartic nature of their sound, it is evident how much the band and their message has touched people. 

In a post shared to Instagram, Real Friends explained what Blue Hour means to them: “‘Blue Hour’ encapsulates the spirit from which Real Friends sprouted - real, raw emotion and songs that truly take you on a journey through emotions of melancholy, pain, healing, bitter ends and new beginnings.” Their live shows perfectly represent this sentiment, whether it’s screaming to “Never Has Become Always” or crying to “Sixteen.” Real Friends’ passion, emotion, and vulnerability shines throughout their set, and it is reflected by the strong community they have created.