The Fake Friends - Let's Not Overthink This (album)

The Fake Friends Lock Into Their Late-Night Pulse on Let’s Not Overthink This

After the sharp-edged impact of Sucker Born Every Minute, Montreal’s The Fake Friends return with Let’s Not Overthink This, released February 13, 2026 via Stomp Records.

The album pulses with nocturnal energy. Post-punk tension, new wave cool, and melodic bite fold together into a sound that feels urban and alive. There are flashes of Pylon and Wire in the tight rhythmic frameworks, hints of Parquet Courts and Cloud Nothings in the lyrical sharpness, and a danceable precision reminiscent of Franz Ferdinand. Yet the result never feels derivative. It belongs unmistakably to Montreal — neon reflections, cold sidewalks, and that after-hours awareness that only arrives when the city quiets down.

The Fake Friends have evolved steadily since forming in 2020. What began as an excuse to spend time together matured into a band with a clear identity. Frontman Matthew Savage and guitarist Luca Santilli laid the groundwork, eventually solidifying the lineup with Felix Crawford-Legault, Michael Kamps, Bradley Cooper-Graham, and Michael Tomizzi. There are traces of hardcore lineage beneath the surface, but here the intensity is disciplined, channelled into something sharp, stylish, and deliberately frayed at the edges.

Across eleven tracks, Let’s Not Overthink This thrives on tension between irony and sincerity. The lyrics circle themes of self-awareness, cultural noise, connection overload, desire, and displacement. Savage’s delivery often walks the line between confidence and anxiety, turning everyday absurdity into something cathartic and oddly anthemic. The band manage to sound serious without becoming heavy-handed, witty without undercutting emotional weight.

Musically, the record shifts in temperature. Angular guitars slice through propulsive bass lines. Drums snap and pivot with precision. Keys drift in at strategic moments, adding atmosphere without softening the punch. The grooves are tight and kinetic, yet there is space where it matters, allowing mood to expand and contract naturally.

Recorded at Mixart with producer and engineer Jordan Barillaro, the album captures the immediacy of their live energy while keeping the arrangements focused. Vince Soliveri’s mastering gives the songs heft without polishing away their grit. The layered vocals feel communal rather than ornamental, reinforcing the sense of shared experience that runs throughout the record.

What defines Let’s Not Overthink This is confidence. It feels like the sound of a band fully comfortable in their own skin, refining their identity rather than searching for it. The record is nostalgic without retreating into the past, contemporary without chasing fleeting trends.

For listeners who were drawn in by Sucker Born Every Minute, this album deepens that promise. It is sharper, more cohesive, and emotionally grounded. The Fake Friends are not announcing themselves for the first time here. They are stepping forward with clarity, embracing the pulse they have already found and amplifying it.

Let’s Not Overthink This hums with city energy, communal spirit, and melodic tension — the sound of a band that knows exactly who they are, even if they prefer not to spell it out.

© Thusblog