New Jersey’s FRND CRCL have honed an infectious, nostalgic pop-punk sound built on engaging vocals and cheeky lyrics, which they describe as “majestic, energetic and fun” and claim will “live rent free in your head whether you want it to or not.”
The trio of brothers Zac (vocals and guitar) and Nick Johnson (bass) and Aaron Smith (drums) started out when Zac and Aaron met at college. And, in Zac’s words: “Aaron and I locked eyes in a college classroom, nodded in unison, and decided from that point on that we would create beautiful mind-bending punk rock music.”
And on the sound they’ve crafted since, Zac explains: “We build our songs off of the massive songwriting style of the biggest genre-defining pop-punk bands, but it’s delivered in a way that’s fresh for 2023.”
Our first taste of this is FRND CRCL’s third album Suburban Dictionary, which was released at the end of June and is packed with 14 tracks of pop-punk goodness. Ahead of the release, Zac told us: “I’m beyond excited. As I’m writing this now, some of our friends who’ve previewed the album have been giving us stellar reviews. From this album in particular, expect a more unified theme in the overall sound that leans more towards the energetic/punk side. It differs from the last two albums in terms of its delivery. It’s also our biggest album to date track-wise.”
Zac advised that he was most excited for people to hear the album’s 10th track Don’t Wait Up, which he describes as “a straight-up radio-worthy banger.” And he’s not wrong. The track bursts straight into a lively little guitar lick, which drops into a laid-back opening verse, which feeds into a catchy chorus that starts “Darling don’t wait up, ‘Cause I’m not gonna make it, From the top it’s a long way down, And I’m already late.” Check it out in the stream here:
The album delivers plenty more where that came from, including ADHD, which builds into a lively burst of guitar chords followed by engaging fast-paced vocals, including the second verse opener “Slow down, That’s what everybody tells me when I’m talking ’cause I need a new perspective, Right now, Could you tell me that the world isn’t a simulation when I’m overstimulated, At the thought of breaking, even running out of Ritalin, Lost my train of thought again, can’t remember anything.”
It also boasts infectiously catchy tracks like Clinically Insane, WYNWM, the especially lively No Chill, closing track Alright, and the excellent Golden, which you can check out in the video here:
But our favourite track from the album may be Fuck California, which opens up with the lines “I’m singing fuck California, Your brothers and daughters, All act like they’re martyrs, And I’ve had it up to here.” High-pitched vocals take over in an opening verse before chunky guitars jump in for the return of the chorus, which picks up pace halfway through. A funky little lick comes in and feeds into a verse that gradually builds up to another big chorus, then a laid-back guitar solo drops into a bumbling bassline before crescendoing into a final blast of the chorus. Give it a listen in the stream here:
And if you like the sound of that, go and check out their first two albums Immuniversity, from 2017, and Internet Noise, from 2020.
Unsurprisingly, the FRND CRCL sound is heavily influenced by pop-punk bands like blink 182 and Green Day plus The 1975. And on what inspires their music, Zac says: “Life. I’d go insane if I couldn’t write music. It’s a part of who I am.”
There’s plenty more to come from FRND CRCL with a whole host of new shows and tours to be announced. And they’re always writing, so expect more new music sooner rather than later.
And Zac adds: “We want to get people excited about pop-punk bands the way we got excited over the legacy bands that are borderline household staples.” And based n the sound of Suburban Dictionary, we think it’s well worth getting excited about the sound of FRND CRCL’s hugely enjoyable brand of pop-punk.
You can follow FRND CRCL on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, and check out their music on Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music and YouTube.
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