REAL FRIENDS // Homebound and Up

Australian fans of Illinois’ pop punkers, Real Friends, rejoice. In a matter of hours, the band will be kicking off their headline run of Australia alongside local flavours Columbus and Harbours.

This will be the band’s first trip down under in a matter of years and their first ever bearing the brand new record, The Home Inside my Head. The Real Friends we’re about to experience live are worlds apart from The Real Friends we’ve experienced prior. The songwriting found on Home Inside my Head is testament to their shift. Before they hit our highways, we caught up with vocalist, Kyle.

Hysteria: So you guys are about to embark on a headline run of Australia, you must be stoked?

Kyle: Oh yeah, we’re stoked. Australia’s actually my favourite place to go overseas, so I’m super excited.

Being on the ground in Australia, I can see first hand just how much you guys have, your profile has grown here over the past couple of years. Are you guys noticing this as well?

It’s hard to say just because … it’ll be just about two years since we toured there. But, Australia is one of those areas that kind of took us by surprise early on. I remember when we weren’t even touring full time yet and people were commenting on our Facebook and Twitter like, “hey, come to Australia, come to Australia.” And we haven’t even toured the U.S. yet, you know? So, I feel like Australia just has kind of those ties with us because I feel like it just started really early on. I’m hoping the shows see some growth, but even last time we were there, we were super stoked on the attendance of the shows and just the quality of the shows and everyone there was just so stoked, it just was great. The only bad part is the flight. It’s just the longest flight ever, so.

I’m really sorry about that flight. I promise there’s nothing we can do about it, man, it’s just how it is.

It’s totally worth it, though. I know like, me personally, like I said, Australia’s my favourite place to play overseas, I’ve just always gotten a really good vibe there and just everyone’s always super laid back and stoked, so I love it.

I feel like in today’s world, there’s so many bands, there’s so many albums, there’s just so many songs. I mean, you can get on your cellphone and listen to any song ever written in a second. So you kinda have that fear, I guess, of “I hope these songs catch on.”
[KYLE]

I’ve kinda got to experience Real Friends picking up momentum right from the beginning. Why do you think Real Friends resonated so instantly with Australia?

You know what? I mean, that’s a good question, I’m not really sure. I mean, I don’t know, it’s really tough to say and it’s kind of funny because there’s still areas overseas that we’re really trying to develop in, even after doing them, we’ve been a band for seven years now and there’s still areas that we feel like, hey, we need to keep going back, we need to really develop. And it’s like Australia has just always been there, like I said. We did Soundwave Festival in 2014, I want to say, I think it was.

We were just taken back, because we didn’t know what to expect. We’re like, oh, we’re on this big festival, we played first every day and the shows were awesome. And we were like, whoa, what’s going on here? We’re so far away from home, you know? But, originally, your question, why? I’m not sure. but I’m super happy about it.

We miss the first album cycle, always. Then we have to wait to the very end of the second album cycle. And then, usually by that stage, they’re not even playing anything from the first album. So, when a band like you guys is kinda like, alright, we know it’s a bitch of a flight, but we’re gonna do it early on, we don’t forget that stuff.

I think you bring up a good point with that because I actually do see … Like there’s a good amount of our peers, I feel like, that don’t go to Australia. Do you feel that way?

Oh, absolutely. We see all these kind of really great tours that get announced and these ten year anniversaries of these albums and sometimes, they make it down here. But, a lot of times they don’t.

This year, for us, touring wise, is a little lighter than it’s been over the past couple of years. I remember us mentioning, we’re like, “we gotta go to Australia, we gotta do it on this album cycle.” So, yeah, stoked for it, it’s gonna be good.

You’re coming down this time for The Home Inside My Head. We’ve not heard this one live yet, so it’d be interesting to know, how do these tracks work live? How do they translate live in amongst the older material?

Great. I mean, we just did a headline tour here, April, end of April, end of June, and the new songs really just felt like the old songs do. You know, I think people finally had time to connect with the songs and really, hopefully like have the songs help them through life, or whatever it is, or just have that real time with them. On this tour, we really felt the crowd connection, you know? Cause we kinda sprinkled in some newer songs on previous tours and it goes over well, but this tour, it just really locked in the new songs and the energy was there with them, people singing along, and that’s always the best feeling for us when the newer songs are finally starting to catch on.

Because it does take a while. I feel like in today’s world, there’s so many bands, there’s so many albums, there’s just so many songs. I mean, you can get on your cellphone and listen to any song ever written in a second. So you kinda have that fear, I guess, of “I hope these songs catch on.” But, to be realistic with you about it though, we have noticed, though, there’s really not that much of crowd reaction and everything with songs that aren’t singles. And I’ve talked to other bands about that, too, is that … I feel like it’s kind of a different age now with music and there’s a lot more people listening to single songs.

You have the growth of playlists and Spotify and Apple Music and all these playlists. I’m 28, so I’m all about albums as a whole and all this stuff. But, I feel like there’s a lot of people, a lot of the younger people, that are kind of growing up in this age of music where it is a lot of singles. And a lot of, they listen to a playlist that has 50 songs on it, one song from each band, you know? So, I don’t know if that’s necessarily a bad thing, but it’s just a little different.

Well, it sounds like you’ve kinda really read the room post release and analysed this, are you gonna kind of adjust your plan for the next release? I mean, where’s your head at, now that you’ve kinda had this research?

We have had the conversations at least about possibly doing a single and possibly doing something [else]. Cause I feel like every band, it’s always like, “Okay, we got a new song, oh, and we have a new album and here’s a new tour and there’s all these things.” I feel like a lot of bands do get away from the main point of all this where it’s music, just music. In that moment, that one song. So, I do see music kind of going, at least this music scene, I see it eventually going more in that direction. Cause I know rap and even country music, I know they’re really big into the singles.

And I do kinda see this music going in that direction somewhat, probably not in the near future, but it’s definitely something we’ve discussed. Cause it kinda gets a little stale and boring to me when it’s like, the only time you ever hear a band’s new songs is when it’s a whole album release. You gotta wait almost two years, that’s a long time with how many bands that are out there. It’s easy to kind of get left behind a little bit until you release that new album, you know?

LISTEN TO THE ENTIRE INTERVIEW ON HYSTERIA RADIO!

Catch Real Friends with special guests Columbus & Harbours touring Australia this week
Tickets available here.

Thu July 27, The Brightside, Brisbane QLD (18+)
Fri July 28, Ahepa Hall, Brisbane QLD (AA)
Sat July 29, The Factory Theatre, Sydney NSW (Lic/AA)
Mon July 31, YMCA HQ, Perth WA (AA)
Tue Aug 1, Rosemount Hotel, Perth WA (18+)
Wed Aug 2, Fowlers Live, Adelaide SA (Lic/AA)
Thu Aug 3, The Evelyn Hotel, Melbourne VIC (18+)
Fri Aug 4, Arrow on Swanston, Melbourne VIC (AA)