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Tag: Pop

  • Johnson Road (Music Video)by Friends In Real Life

    Johnson Road (Music Video)by Friends In Real Life

    Note From The Editor: This article was written by my 13 old son. We both share a love for the work of Patrick Schneeweis. Naturally my son was super hyped about the new Friends In Real Life album and thought he would try his hand at doing what I do. Please enjoy his review.

    Artist: Friends In Real Life

    Album: ??? ??A??????

    Music Video: Johnson Road

    Released: March 06, 2026; Self Release

    Johnson Road is the first single from Friends In Real Life’s new album, and if it’s anything like the first album, it will be bliss. The song brings upbeat, cheerful story telling despite being on real world issues. The song focuses on a nature loving office worker, as said by the description of the official music video, who faces a difficult decision that changes his life.

    The horns and upbeat music really transfer you into the moment. It makes you feel what it means when Pat says “I got a low fuel light down on Johnson Road”. As the story progresses, it goes on to say that sure, not everyone has time, but you gotta be in the moment and witness the world’s “marvels”. The song is very chill, Pat has a calming voice and it is just the kind of song to listen to if you need to get out of a funk. 

              Due to Datacorps plans, the office worker stands up and quits. This particular action really lets us see the person he is because sure, he could just let them build the datacenter, and they probably still will, if this was real, but it’s actions like these that really drive home that he wants to protect the nature that he loves. It made me realize in a way that maybe more music is like storytelling. Pat could have written it, so if he didn’t stand up, the datacenter was built. 

    Theme, see the theme would have changed because of it. It could have gone from cheery and upbeat to sad and reconciling, but Pat didn’t write it like that and due to that the song has a stronger narrative and overall impact.

    Friends In Real Life’s Johnson Road shows the challenges we face in society and the things we can do to handle it. The music video shows great cinematics and further explains the story they are trying to tell. Despite all of this, the story is incomplete because it is but one of a series, so I can’t wait to listen, watch and maybe even review the others.

  • The First Year by Here For You

    The First Year by Here For You

    Note From the Author: This review was originally posted on the Start-track blog.

    Artist: Here For You

    Album: The First Year 

    Released: October 25, 2025; Atlanta Zone Records 

    Here For You is a band from Brooklyn, New York and on their first album: “The First Year” they offer up an eclectic mix of folk and pop. I actually covered “Theme Song 2” their last single for this album a few weeks ago here on the blog[This is in reference to this Start-track blog post].  I bring this up because it is my favorite song from the album and I feel like if you haven’t checked it out yet, you definitely should. 

    “French Toast” is hands down my second favorite song from the album, mainly because it is a very tongue and cheek reflection on the food industry, food culture and marketing. It does this under the guise of a song about enjoying breakfast and all conveniences provided by modern times that make it great.. It’s an up beat song that is highly infectious. It is hard not to start singing along. About a minute into the song there is a jazzy bit that is really fun. It is a pure bop. 

    There is an extraordinary vibe presented by “Night at Maud’s”. I would frankly, be remiss for failing to mention it. The song starts out with an extremely twangy guitar riff that is quite enjoyable.The group vocals are exceptional and the distorted guitar that ends the song is a great finish. The lyrics are about hot summer nights in the city and that is just about as relatable as anything. All this adds up to equal the ultimate sit and chill song.

    “Brunson Floater” is a song about the people in your life that you can always count on for support and wanting to reciprocate that support. I must confess that I had to google the name of the song because it presented a metaphor I wasn’t New York and/or sporty enough to initially understand. That being said, I think its rather delightful now that I am in the know. This song features some more group vocals that I think work really well.

    The last song that I want to talk about is “Go Forth”. This is probably the song on the album that is the most folk punk in terms of vocal presentation, which is something that I quite like. And again the group vocals in the song are superb. What I really like about this song in particular is the ending lyrics are borrowed from a Utah Phillips song. Aside from me personally being a Utah Phillips appreciator in general, I think that there is a direct line between his music and themes of solidarity, friendship, and finding joy presented in the song and in the album in general. To me, it feels very much like modern folk paying homage to someone who helped shape the genre. 

    “The First Year” by Here For You can be defined largely by its poppy folk performance, its use of stellar group vocals, and its themes of overcoming adversity through solidarity and friendship. On top of all that, they still manage to fit in a dash or two of punk rock attitude. This is a very strong first album and I am definitely looking forward to more from Here For You in the future. 

    If you like the album I reviewed here and want to support the artist as well as this blog please consider picking up the album via this affiliate link—> Purchase The First Year by Here For you via Amazon Music