The DIY scene sometimes gets a bad rap for being full of bands that allegedly all sound the same. And while I for one can’t get enough of the indie-emo-punk hybrid that’s taken it by storm in the last decade or so, I am still somewhat sympathetic to that opinion, that there’s not an extremely diverse range of sounds going on. But there are always exceptions. Some bands manage to demand hype from simply how good they are, regardless of how many arbitrary boxes they may or may not check. Bands so refreshing a first listen feels like being pushed into a pool (and your phone and wallet are magically not on you so don’t worry.) And Just Friends’ new album Nothing But Love is exactly what even the most jaded old punk may need in their lives.

Just Friends’ Bandcamp image.

Just Friends have been kicking it since 2013. Their debut album, Rock 2 The Rhythm, was released 2 years later and was one of my favorite, and one of the most underrated, albums of 2015. In a year with new Jeff Rosenstock, Screaming Females and Sidekicks records, this little band from a city in California I had never even heard of rivaled all of them. Their unique mix of emo-pop instrumentation, heavy brass sections, and vocals that often bordered on hardcore was in a league of its own (for the record, people occasionally try to label Just Friends as ska, which the band resists and for good reason: they aren’t. Horns don’t automatically make you ska, or else we’d all be skanking to American Football.) I was certain that whatever came next would put them on the map. And after a split with labelmates Prince Daddy and the Hyena (who I talked about earlier in this series) in 2016 and a teaser tape in 2017, Nothing But Love finally dropped via Counter-Intuitive Records this year and proved me right.

The first thing you’ll notice about Nothing But Love is just how good it sounds. The album, largely engineered and produced by guitar player Ryan Ellery, among others, is a huge sonic improvement over the dysfunctional-in-a-good-way production of the band’s first album. Every song sounds like an arena rock banger that’s just begging to get screamed by an over-enthusiastic crowd. This vibe starts even before any of the real songs do. Opening track 1–800-CHOP-CITY is a short skit between Ellery and vocalist Sam Kless before turning into a boom of clapping and gang vocals boldly proclaiming “WE CHOP IT UP!” Not a single note has been played yet and the listener is already hyped for what’s about to get thrown at them.

The following four-song run of Never Gonna Bring You Down, Keep Up, Supersonic and Flex bring what’s changed since 2015 to the forefront. For one thing, the song structures and guitar tones don’t even really resemble the emo and pop-punk influences found on Just Friends’ first album. These songs have a groove that’s impossible to not sway along to. The band has gone in a complete 180 from Joyce Manor to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and you know what? It works perfectly. Part of it is because they haven’t lost their energy one bit: while the band doesn’t musically resemble their contemporaries much at this point, it’s clear why they can all still play on the same bills and audiences are equally receptive. They’re just straight-up fun, no irony or sarcasm about it.

The other one is the introduction of Brianda Goyos León as a second vocalist. With occasional backing contributions from other members, Kless has largely up until now taken control of Just Friends’ singing with his abrasive, not-for-everyone vocal style. León, who’s also a member of Kitty Kat Fan Club, has a much cleaner and more traditional vocal style (although she can also get aggressive with ease as well, such as on Never Gonna Bring You Down.) The trade-off between her and Kless has added a brand-new dynamic in the band as their voices complement each other perfectly.

Most the early songs feature León backing up Kless, but I Wanna Love You marks a significant change of pace as she gets her own time to shine. The song is one of the longest on the album, and most of its first half is León and a simple, catchy guitar riff in the background. Instead of the hyperactive and bouncy feel of the preceding tracks, the song is a straight-forward and slow song about, well, wanting to love someone. The rest of the band eventually swings into the song, offering an extremely catchy horn riff courtesy of trumpet player Avi Dey, some chill drumming, gang vocals, and even a bonafide guitar solo before the song comes to an end. I Wanna Love You is another indicator of what makes Just Friends so refreshing in a sea of up-and-coming DIY bands. They’re making music for themselves and their friends rather than a hypothetical audience of jaded snobs. Can you think of any other band that could make a complete detour of this caliber, be as sappy as possible doing it, and have it work 100%? I certainly can’t.

The song also marks a turn for the more experimental in the second half of the album. There’s a skit parodying early morning zoo crew radio with an (as far as I can tell) original G-Funk beat lightly playing in the background while friends of the band jokingly call in about how much they suck. There’s a song with a rap feature on it (Get Down, featuring Caliph,) an interlude that’s basically electronic save for Kless’ vocals (Bang My Line 2,) the closest thing the band has gotten to an acoustic track in their five years of activity (Sick of It All) and more. What’s amazing about this latter half is that none of it particularly feels out of place. Since Just Friends have established themselves as a band who plays whatever music makes them feel satisfied as artists, the personalities of all the members are enough to carry them through such stylistic shifts. All they ask of their listeners are to be open-minded enough to follow them.

Just Friends performing live at The Fest. Source: Joey Tobin.

The Just Friends of five years ago likely thought of that name in romantic sense: “oh, we’re not dating, we’re just friends.” I don’t know this for sure, but it would be fairly fitting giving the lyrics of Rock 2 The Rhythm. But the Nothing But Love era of Just Friends feels like just that: just friends, playing the music they want on their own terms, completely ambivalent about the opinions of any potential naysayers. In a scene that embraces cloudiness, Just Friends are a ray of SoCal sunshine that can crack a smile on even the truest emo’s face.

Just Friends have a busy Fest this year. They play their normal set at The Wooly on 10/27, a Rage Against the Machine cover set at Loosey’s on 10/26 and an acoustic set at Big Lou’s on 10/28. They’ll also be touring to and from Fest with Mom Jeans, awakebutstillinbed and Retirement Party.

After you’ve bought Nothing but Love either physically or on Bandcamp, consider donating a few dollars for this piece.