“Find You” is the focus track of Canadian alternative indie-pop group New Friends’ new EP Camaro. According to New Friends, “Find You” is “an anthemic realization of one’s inner negative dialogue and self-perception after a rough breakup.” We had the pleasure of interviewing New Friends, and here’s what they had to say:
Q: Did you have a clear direction/idea of how you wanted “Find You” to sound before you started creating it or did it come together in bits and pieces?
NEW FRIENDS: There was no clear direction on what the song should sound like. We spent the majority of the time at the beginning of the session just writing the song. Once the song was written we produced as much as we could to have the writing at least recorded to remember the melodies and cadences. A lot of the heart and soul of the song stemmed from that demo we made.
Q: What inspired “Find You”?
NEW FRIENDS: “Find You” was a song I knew I would inevitably create but never imagined it would end up sounding the way it does. The band had spent 7 weeks in Los Angeles and on our first weekend back home in Toronto, we set out to a writing camp to try and create the next batch of songs which later became ‘Camaro’. The first week in LA, my long-term relationship had come to an end. After a continuous effort to make it work, it simply had run its course. I then spent the next 6 weeks re-identifying myself and trying to figure out what life is going to be like without that person. It was a very special and important time in my life because it had been the first time in years that I had to go through all of my growing and realizations alone. Luckily, other members of the band had gone through similar things prior to the trip and were able to help guide those self-inflicted conversations to not result in a downward spiral. Once getting into the studio, it felt like we wanted to take those conversations and realizations and put them into a song that represented the healing process of a breakup.
Q: Can you walk us through the creative and production process for this song?
NEW FRIENDS: The process to this song all stemmed from the writing. The lyrical identity of the song carried every decision after the fact. We wanted the song to take you on a journey throughout the post-break-up thought process. Verse one is fantasizing and memory. Remembering the things that person did, the way they looked, the way they left you in awe, only to realize they’re not yours anymore to adore. Verse 2 is self-reflection, wondering if you’ve always been the problem. Asking yourself, am I the reason that things always fall apart?
The chorus is a plea for some sense of stability and clarity after all of this is said and done. The bridge was our favourite part of the song because we wanted to emphasize the part about the breakup which is, life moves on and this will only make you a stronger person. The production needed to feel as anthemic and triumphant as the story of a healing heart and naturally, the song took on an early 2000s-sounding mid-tempo ballad that did not try to distract the listener from the grander theme and topic at play. As a band that loves production and starting ideas based off of production, it is always special to have a song that almost gives you a map of where to go just through the writing. Steve Mollela (the producer of the track) understood perfectly where the song should go.
Q: What’s the origin story of New Friends? How’d Stefan Boulineau, Ayden Miller, Cole Wilson, and Conrad Galecki come together to form this band?
NEW FRIENDS: We met in college in London, ON Canada back in 2018. We all went into the program not knowing anyone and we almost all became friends within the first semester. Ayden had written a song called Purple Candy and needed a group to help make the song come to life which is how he found Cole and Stefan. Later on as the program progressed I (Conrad) started to spend a lot more time with the band and eventually started to help write and produce, Eventually the 4 of us were making music as a band and recently introduced our touring drummer, Nico Elias, as the newest member of the group and have not looked back since.
Q: What impact would you like to create with your music?
NEW FRIENDS: We make music entirely out of the love for doing so. Our mission and goal have always been to leave an impact on someone’s life even if it’s only for 3 minutes and 30 seconds. The world always seems to be in such a state of chaos and oftentimes feels overwhelming. We just want to be the thing that helps take people away from all of the noise and just laugh and dance and sing together. Any personal issues in our lives often hold similarities to other people’s experiences and we love to take the heavier things and make them seem like they can be manageable. Overall, we just want to make something that matters to someone.
Q: What’s one thing the band is really looking forward to achieving musically this year?
NEW FRIENDS: We’re looking forward to hitting the road and meeting more fans! Our favourite part about being a band is talking to and creating so many memories with people we would have never met if it weren’t for the band. Also, new music! We’ve been working hard on the next batch of tunes and cannot wait to see what happens next 🙂
Interviewed by Zoey King
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