US metal breakthrough Friendship Commanders blend distortion and joy, with the intensity and extensive melodic progression of the sensational MIDHEAVEN.
From the outset, this is a band who set the bar high – soaring distorted guitar work and the live crash of drums, a long-form riff that’s quickly nostalgic but original. Then we get to the voice, the songwriting, another fresh melody somewhat balancing melancholy and optimism.
Things get better and better, but in all honesty, the hook is where things reach peak alternative appeal. MIDHEAVEN captures something genuinely original here, a tune that feels broken but empowered, and a concept that’s mysterious, but which begs for you to dive in again and again, to connect the dots, and to feel the story and the music a little more heavily.
Stylistically, Friendship Commanders have their own thing going on entirely here. The songwriting, for me, tips its hat to the likes of Pearl Jam, for its depth and reflection, its meandering melodies – that meeting of the unpredictable and the satisfying. Again though, there’s something clearly their own about these lyrics, and the way they’re performed.
It’s a huge track, with a sublime level of instrumental expression – a genuine band, clearly in it for the passion of the process of making music and art, and their growing repertoire is not to be missed.
Find Friendship Commanders on Instagram, Facebook, Bandcamp, X.
