Better Friends than Lovers

Vancouver’s Better Friends than Lovers may have borrowed their moniker from Aretha Franklin but the comparisons to the Queen of Soul stop there. The west coast quintet’s debut album, Great Loves, gives piano-driven pop rock a good name, with just the right amount of guitar to fill out its sound, and just enough percussion to hold it all together. The four ladies and one lad’s no-fuss approach is what makes songs like "Teeter” and "Half the Battle” instantly likeable. Their lyrics about, as the album title says, great loves of all kinds are straightforward and punchy, showing why they cite Weezer’s blue album as an influence. But it’s Jeremy Pelland and Eli Leary’s vocals that make Better Friends than Lovers a particularly good listen. Their perfectly intertwining harmonies might even make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, just like the great loves that their music is all about.