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Real Friends started over after first EP—"We tried too much to be something that we weren't"

APTV Correspondent Nick Major's comprehensive interview with Real Friends bassist Kyle Fasel drops tomorrow. 

In the meantime, we have another teaser, in which Fasel explains why Real Friends started over after their first EP, This Is Honesty. Check out the full clip below.

Read more: Real Friends’ Eric Haines talks about his musical background and approach to playing live

“We tried too much to be something that we weren't,” Fasel says of This Is Honesty. After playing only about 10 shows supporting the EP, it was quickly shelved. “Let's just start over,” he told his bandmates. “Who says that we can't?” 

Wiping the EP allowed Real Friends to integrate more inspiration from bands they truly loved, such as Taking Back Sunday, the Starting Line and Brand New. To that point, the group had been playing a more pop-rock style, but after realizing they wanted to pay homage to their musical roots, moved toward the pop-punk sound listeners are familiar with today.

Read more: Real Friends’ Dan Lambton: “I have to deal with none of the stuff that women have to deal with”

In particular, Fasel recalls writing “Floorboards”—examining it, rewriting it—until it became the song he credits as the first to really lock in the new sound they were trying to achieve at the time. “'Floorboards' is the song that really brought it all to life.”

The result was the now classic Everyone That Dragged You Here EP, which features the beloved hits “Home For Fall,” “Anchor Down” and, of course, “Floorboards.”

We left streams of both This Is Honesty and Everyone That Dragged You Here below the clip, so let us know what you think in the comments.

Watch more: First, Last, Best and Worst CDs with Real Friends

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