We're Not Friends Anymore

Why We’re Not Friends Anymore isn’t signed to some hotshot indie label is beyond all comprehension. The Stockton based band has been paying their dues, managing to acquire quite a following all across the country due to their online presence and dynamic live shows. At the Cobalt Café, the band kicked it into supersonic high gear, mesmerizing the crowd with a short but rollicking selection of tunes. Mostly culled from their recent You Are Television self-release, some of the top songs performed included Purity, Allegations, and Reflections. The two lead vocalists are especially remarkable. The clean vocals of Mariano Lopez absolutely soar in the grand tradition of the singers from Circa Survive and Chiodos. Marking a stunning contrast is the brutal screamed vocals of Mike Cast, whose aggressiveness and quirky personality really make him a stand out performer. The rest of the band is absolutely first rate, including some fine dual guitar work from Dom Sacco and Alex Casillas. The rock solid rhythm section consists of Nicholas Coleman on bass and Anthony Hampton on drums. Here’s hoping this band shows up to play in the City Of Angels more often. It was terrific to see that a few folks in the crowd who already knew all the words to their songs. - Kenneth Morton

The high pitched scream/gruff scream dynamic is dying quicker than auto-tune. Half-inspired guitar licks that have been rehashed to a T for the past 5 years are getting old; and the breakdown left the realm of cool mere moments after it was even mildly entertaining. We're Not Friends Anymore have had their share of member problems, and while they may have finally settled on something, it may be too late for any sort of success.

Continuing to write the exact same songs bands like A Skylit Drive, Greeley Estates, In Fear and Faith and 1,000 other bands have over the past several years is like trying to eat only hot dogs for 3 years; it just gets boring. Could you have at least put some relish on the hot dog? Or cooked it differently? No, you didn't. You put it on the grill, you ketchup-ed and mustard-ed it, and tried to shove it down my throat again. Quite frankly, if WNFA is a hot dog, I'm in the mood for a hamburger.

But, thankfully, the reintroduction of their original clean vocalist, Mariano Lopez, into the picture gives WNFA their trump card back. As monotonous as these records have become, there are several real tight grooves that happen throughout the record, and Mariano's melodies are spot on. They never overstay their welcome on a track trying to extend past what it needs to get the point across, and the melodies are catchy and, at the very least, interesting. "Purity" is just over the 3 minute mark but packs some of the catchiest lines on the record ("Catch and releease, she'll be what you need").

In this drowning scene, We're Not Friends Anymore are good. They're very good. They have some little quirks that give it a bit of fresh air, but overall fall flat simply because of the general vibe they're pushing for. It's a short stint, but maybe that's for the best with these types of bands these days. - matrocksteady

We’re Not Friends Anymore is a Hardcore / Experimental band. These guys perfectly balance sticky sweet vocals in their songs and then without warning cut you wide open and bloodied with the aggressive side of their band and then right back to the sticky sweet vocals again.The listener is left asking themselves what happened?…where am I? and where is my wallet?

When we found this band and started listening to their first track, we truly had no clue what we were about to discover with them. There is no relevant band out there that we are aware of at this point doing what these guys are doing. We can see this band doing well on Fearless Records or Equal Vision Records. - Daily Unsigned