Dublin, California band Just Friends is back with their third LP, Hella (released March 4, 2022 on Pure Noise). A triumphant follow-up to 2021’s series of three EPs (JF Crew Vol. 1, 2, and 3), Hella encapsulates everything fans have come to love about the band’s punk/ska/funk/pop fusion sound. Taking listeners on a journey through everything from love, heartbreak, and sunny days spent with friends, Hella will no doubt be a contender for many peoples’ Album of the Year.
The album opens with “Love Letter,” a 70s funk-infused love song that sheds light on the pains of being in love while having a career that keeps you away from home. “Love Letter”’s lyrics offer a personal look into the struggle of choosing between your career and love. The song’s chorus is almost too fun to realize the tinge of sorrow that each word carries. In the bridge, vocalist Brianda “Brond” Goyos Leon’s voice takes on a dreamy quality as she sings “And I’ll be home soon, cleared every afternoon/For you”. But as a reminder of the difficult decisions he’s had to make, Sam Kless’ voice sounds defeated as he raps: “Life is a race, keep up the pace/don’t wanna lie ‘cause I’m loving the taste…21 weeks since I’ve been at my home/I hit the road”.
“Love Letter”’s wistful contemplation fades perfectly into the album’s next song, “Shine” - which offers a direct contrast to the former’s romantic themes. “Shine” is the ultimate bad-bitch declaration of self-love after being spurned by a cheating lover. Brond’s vocals soar over the punchy riffs of the chorus as she sings an affirmation everyone could stand to hear more than once: “Never gonna dull my shine for somebody else”. If there were ever a song to put on your “Feeling Myself” playlist, it’s this one.
The next two tracks on the album, “Honey (ft. Nate Curry)” and “Fever” go hand in hand as two tender declarations of love. It isn’t difficult to picture either on a playlist made for your latest crush. The two songs complement each other wonderfully - with smooth R&B licks that wouldn’t be out of place at a coffee shop’s open mic and lyrics perfect for captioning your boyfriend reveal on Instagram.
The album’s pace picks back up heading into “Basic (ft. Lil B & Hobo Johnson)”. An unironic ode to embracing being, well, basic. The singsong chorus of “Face it, we’re basic/Chillin’ with my friends they’re my favorite” sends a middle finger to anyone who has a problem with people just trying to live their lives. The verses nod to many of the joys of being basic that we all know and love: astrology, skincare, getting high with your friends - and embracing them fully. Through strong friendships and doing what you love, “Basic” determines that at the end of the day “we’re one of a kind”.
“Hollerbox,” with its bossa nova and chacha influenced percussion, serves as a waiting room-esque interlude where Kless muses on the role technology plays in our lives. At just over a minute and a half long, it’s the perfect breather as the album moves into its climax. In “Hot,” Kless and Brond slam their detractors over a heavy bassline and affirm what we’ve known all along: Just Friends is on fire and are not the ones to cross. The song’s outro, where both vocalists yell “All you do is make me mad!” offers the perfect way to scream out some pent-up steam; it almost demands to be listened to while speeding on a road with the windows down.
In keeping with the heat motif, “Sizzle” brings the energy of Red Hot Chili Peppers at their peak to give us another confidence booster - Sam Kless’ affirmation of “Yes I am/Too hot to handle” is impossibly catchy, while he and Brond’s back and forth in the verses is full of witty quips that exude a cool, self-assured vibe. It’s impossible to not feel on top of the world here.
“Stupid (ft. Lil B)” is undeniably one of the highlights of Hella. A reworking of 2019s version that first appeared on last year’s JF Crew, Vol. 2, “Stupid” is Just Friends’ love song to the Bay Area where they’re from. Another wildly catchy but simple chorus (“S-T-U-P-I-D”) lets Just Friends’ signature horns shine alongside jazzy percussion and another funky bassline. A perfect homage to everything great about ska punk, “Stupid” is yet another energetic banger that calls for screaming at the top of your lungs with friends.
Coming down from the high-energy of “Stupid,” “Bad Boy” is Just Friends’ answer to hyperpop. A brokenhearted ballad, it has a kind of simplicity in its lyrics that’s reminiscent of middle-school romance - a sentiment strengthened by references to playgrounds and after-school detention. What it lacks in lyrical depth, it makes up for in slick production and yet another infectious chorus. Although it’s a departure in style from the rest of the album, “Bad Boy” could easily become Hella’s sleeper hit.
In “Big Money Power Music,” Just Friends once again fuses groovy riffs with exuberant vocal delivery from both Brond and Kless. The song’s sugary sweet R&B hook of “Feels good baby, oh it feels so good” complements the visuals provided by the flows of the verses: another song for summer, for “Feeling like a star” and “Driving with my seat way back/A big smile on my face”. As the song reaches its end, a gospel-infused outro devolves into a musical Tower of Babel - too many sounds and influences to single out, the song slows and fades into the final track.
As a closing song, “Sunflower” is fiercely hopeful and vulnerable. First released on the final JF Crew EP last year, it intimately recounts the pains of not being okay and yearning for better days to come. As a song released during a seemingly never-ending global pandemic, the lines “You hope sun shines on a new day/But real life hit like a freight train” are almost painfully relatable, especially when sung with soaring harmonies that give way to Kless’ ultimate wish: “Wanna be like a sunflower”.
As an album, Hella is proof that Just Friends just keeps getting better. Their genre-bending and artistry is unmatched, and Hella is the perfect album to blast as we head into summer.
