Illinois pop punks Real Friends have put together a set of songs for their sophomore full-length that oscillate between catchiness and banality. Although they don't take very many risks or expand a great deal on the sounds of their previous releases, they still manage to provide more than a few earworms on some of the stronger tracks here.
"Mokena" and "Empty Picture Frames" are the two highlights of the record, the former finding its strength in a subdued introduction that opens up into rich melodic layers, and the latter being filled with hooks, from the bouncy verse riff to Dan Lambton's soaring vocals in the chorus. Aside from these and the album closer "Colder Quicker," though, some of the other choruses fall flat in comparison, and the repetitive lyrical themes, along with the uninspired structuring, makes a fair portion of the record a tedious listen.
Still, while The Home Inside My Head is by no means the band's magnum opus or a step forward for pop punk as a whole, it's definitely a worthwhile listen for fans of the band and genre.
(Fearless)"Mokena" and "Empty Picture Frames" are the two highlights of the record, the former finding its strength in a subdued introduction that opens up into rich melodic layers, and the latter being filled with hooks, from the bouncy verse riff to Dan Lambton's soaring vocals in the chorus. Aside from these and the album closer "Colder Quicker," though, some of the other choruses fall flat in comparison, and the repetitive lyrical themes, along with the uninspired structuring, makes a fair portion of the record a tedious listen.
Still, while The Home Inside My Head is by no means the band's magnum opus or a step forward for pop punk as a whole, it's definitely a worthwhile listen for fans of the band and genre.