Champagne for your Real Friends, real pain for your sham friends....





Okay, here's the deal: we like Real Friends A LOT, but in some dark corners of the internet (we're looking at you, Reddit) they're attracting a lot of hate. Time for some facts to set the record straight. Why not give their new album a listen while you read? It's streaming below.

1. This photo alone should be enough.

This is from the Glamour Kills dodgeball tournament last week.

I think it's time to play dodgeball. pic.twitter.com/rMrro94LZm — Real Friends (@realfriendsband) July 14, 2014

No, we don't think Kyle or Brian are wearing shorts in that photo either. They went out in the first round to State Champs, apparently. Unlucky, chaps.



2. Dan Lambton's voice.

You want more reasons? Are you kidding us? There are two men with no shorts on in that photograph! Okay then, aside from being one of the most important / best / loveliest bands in modern pop-punk, there are bits on their new album where Dan Lambton's voice sounds like a wonderful cross between The Starting Line's Kenny Vasoli at his most earnest, The Wonder Years' Dan 'Soupy' Campbell at his most vulnerable and The Dangerous Summer's AJ Perdomo at his most gutsy (check out the album's third track 'Cover You Up' for a lovely mix of all three).



3. They've been going down a storm on Warped Tour all summer.

This is what their hometown show last week looked like...



Insane.



4. They have good taste in music.

Just a heads up that @fouryearstrong and @DikembeDudes have also put out some grade A jams today, check em out! — Real Friends (@realfriendsband) July 23, 2014



5. And they know what's up when it comes to great UK bands, too.

If you're coming to any of the remaining warped dates and don't see @MARMOZETS, you are fucking up big time — Dan Lambton (@donnylumpkins) July 21, 2014







...yeah, they're joking on that one. Look!



6. That album title.

'Maybe This Place Is The Same And We're Just Changing' is great, and harks back to the time of ridiculously over-long Panic! At The Disco / Fall Out Boy song titles. And that was a fun time, wasn't it?

7. They don't give a fuck if you download their album or not.

Please let me know when our album leaks so I can act "pissed" — Dan Lambton (@donnylumpkins) July 16, 2014

Kids have our record before a leak? Is this real life? — Dan Lambton (@donnylumpkins) July 17, 2014

I think you can download our album on the Internet. I give you permission to do so, just let me know if you like it — Dan Lambton (@donnylumpkins) July 18, 2014

Shut out the world tonight and listen to your favorite songs. — Real Friends (@realfriendsband) July 25, 2014



8. The lyrics.

Okay, there are a lot of bony knees involved, but Real Friends are bloody brilliant at being really, really scarred.

























9. All the other bands love them.

And who are we to argue with this lot?

No but for real go pick up your AOTY, the new @realfriendsband record, right here: http://t.co/ITFOq8QjY7 — State Champs (@State_Champs) July 24, 2014

Our buds in @realfriendsband put out a really incredible album today. Go give them some love — Derek Sanders (@DerekSanders) July 23, 2014

Thank you Warped Tour! This tour is very much alive! @realfriendsband and @NeckDeepUK are the next generation. #WarpedTourChicago — Neil Westfall ADTR (@NW44) July 20, 2014

10. They do acoustic real good.

Like this rendition of 'Dirty Water' they played at Glamour Kills' US office earlier this year.





11. It's great when bands reference other bands in their songs.

It just feels right, because we too have been in a position where all we have is a lonely night and Jimmy Eat World.

12. They're living out their dreams, and it's an incredibly cool thing to witness.

"If you'd told 16-year-old me that we were going to be doing Warped Tour, I'd have been like, 'What the fuck?!'" Dan told us in Issue 189. "I would literally have just shit my pants, had a heart attack and died, then this never would have happened."



13. And because they're Real Friends. And not trying to be anything else.

"If you think the band is some revolutionary thing, that's very flattering, but we don't try to go out and say we are the new Fall Out Boy or we're the next Wonder Years," he said. "There's no point, because we're Real Friends."



14. Oh, and did we mention that the album rules? Yep. The album rules.

So there you have it. Real Friends do not suck. For 12 more reasons why Real Friends don't suck, pick up their new album 'Maybe This Place Is The Same And We're Just Changing'. It's out now through Fearless, and you can read what we made of it in the latest issue of the magazine.