Real Friend - Showcase (2022-Present)

    Real Friend is a band from Calgary, Alberta who formed in 2022 under the name Soylent Green before they lost a member and became Real Friend. The band members are Kyle Pierce, Noah Gall and Ayden Hamilton, the first couple of the three sharing tasks of vocals, guitar and bass while the former is on drums. As of today, they have digitally released one single titled "Serenity Now" and one EP titled "Standard Issue" which can be found on Bandcamp and Spotify. 

    Real Friend is one of the most genre-defying bands I've ever heard, refusing to comply with any one sound and instead experimenting tastefully with aspects of various styles and genres. I would say there is some heavy math-rock influence found within their work as well as a distinct influence from early 90s emo bands like Moss Icon (they even have a song named after the band) or even Indian Summer with a bit more distortion/noise. Their songs vary from mathy, complex and instrumental to noisy and chaotic with distorted vocals piercing through the explosion of sound. 

    To be completely honest I find myself very disillusioned with the scene in my hometown, bands that I genuinely enjoy and doing something truly unique are few and far between, but let me tell you Real Friend is one of them. I had heard they were good but when I first heard Real Friend play I was shocked. The members are not only incredibly musically talented but also have a completely different sound than any other local bands which is hard to do and can be scary. It's easy to copy your favourite bands or blend in with the scene playing mediocre music but Real Friend is braver, they are willing to risk it all to do something genuine and truly their own no matter what anyone thinks. That, above all is why they have my utmost respect. You can be the best musician ever and still play bland, boring music that sounds like 500 other bands, but Real Friend opts to show off their talent and creativity. 

    I had the pleasure of doing the cinematography for the entirety of Real Friend's first music video for their track "Portland, Oregon" alongside Nick Alford who directed the project, Benjamin San Martin who was 1st Assistant Camera and many more who made the project possible. I feel super lucky to have worked with great production/post-production teams as well as be able to work with Real Friend to make a video we are all happy with. 

    Check out Real Friend with the links below!

Spotify

Bandcamp

"Portland, Oregon" Music Video