Young Friend

Drew Tarves' music as young friend feels classic and immediate all at once, capturing the nostalgia of post-adolescence while diving deep into a pool of self-reflection. His new album, Motorcycle Sound Effects, is bursting with big feelings and perfect golden light. It feels messy and raw, like long summer nights piling into the back of a pickup truck with all your friends, sprinting to catch the last summer sunset, taking off your shoes and dancing in the grass, falling, getting back up.

A trained dancer for most of his adolescence, the 24-year-old Vancouver native switched artistic disciplines after spending time jamming with his musician friends. "I found out very quickly that I loved it," he recalls. "It was my favorite thing to do." Armed with a guitar and a laptop, Tarves started hashing out early songwriting attempts on Garageband as he found his own style that suited him: "It was all about experimenting while trying to find what worked for me."

In 2022, Tarves released his indie-pop debut EP HOW DID WE GET HERE? and quickly followed it up with a sophomore in 2023 titled scaredy cat. 2024 brought in his first Canadian and international touring as well as a Juno nomination. Now, young friend is releasing his debut full length, Motorcycle Sound Effects, that’s produced by friend and frequent collaborator David Marinelli (Wallice, Finneas, spill tab). The album pulls inspiration from a multitude of places and artists, landing in this comfy space of new and familiar while also making room for self-discovery. Motorcycle Sound Effects takes you along for the ride of your life. “This album takes notes from a lot of different artists and bands that I really love, and as a result it is this sort of genre-bending fever dream album.”

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