Stereo Six: Rock Quartet DEAD FRIENDS Outline the Albums that Influenced Their ‘Torches’ Single

Rock group Dead Friends are relatively new to the scene but are already starting to “make some noise,” so to speak. Lead singer and guitarist Austin Radford moved to Virginia from Dallas and wasn’t really sure whether he should continue to pursue a career in music, or head down another path entirely. He wound up meeting bandmates Christian, Brian and Dan, all of whom shared the same passion for music that Austin did.

Still unsure of what they were, the four guys recorded the song “Down For Good,” which got them moving in the direction towards Dead Friends actually being a full-time band. Their next single “Paimon (What You Omen)” was the first song they wrote collectively. “Down For Good” and “Paimon (What You Omen)” were produced by Will Beasley (Asking Alexandria, Emarosa) and are stand-alone singles. The band will be releasing an EP, due out early next year, but to help introduce you to this emerging act in the meantime, we got them to run down six of their favorite albums.

The band released their latest single “Torches” on October 5th.

01. Underoath – Define the Great Line (2006, Tooth & Nail)
– It was just the perfect storm of being one of the first albums I really remember anticipating super hard and also hitting right in the formative years of learning the drums. On top of that, it really showed me that balance of being a solid backbone for the music feeling way better than just playing crazy fills. -Christian

02. Michael Jackson – Thriller (1982, Epic)
– I’ve always had a thing for pop sensibilities, and Thriller has always appealed to that. The groove the record carries leaves an impression you can’t forget. The album is effortlessly cohesive while having each track offer different, yet complementary tastes; a feeling we’d love to capture with our own music. -Brian

03. Glassjaw – Worship and Tribute (2002, Warner Bros.)
– This album has absolutely everything. You wanna belt out the most infectious of hooks? You wanna bang your head into the nearest person’s head? You wanna smoke a blunt while you drive across a long foggy bridge in the middle of the night? GJ’s Gotchu! Some of the silkiest grooves sandwiched between absolutely absurd bangers. Daryl does stuff with his voice on this album that just flat out makes no sense. It’s an experience that I have to listen to front to back every time. -Austin

04. Thrice – The Alchemy Index Vols. III & IV (2008, Vagrant)
– I’ve always enjoyed Thrice but that album deviated from anything they’d previously done. It’s pretty experimental for them, chocked full of nuances, beautiful melodies, weird time signatures and droning acoustic numbers that really showcase their range and song writing ability. I could listen to it on repeat and never get tired of it. -Dan

05. Every Time I Die – Low Teens (2016, Epitaph)
– It’s no secret that we’re Etidiots. If you’re in a heavy rock band in 2018 and you’re not in some way influenced by ETID, we’re not sure what you’re thinking about. You could probably plug any of their albums in here, but Low Teens is truly something special. Keith’s lyrics are characteristically brilliant, while also heart wrenching this time around. Jordan and Andy have thoroughly perfected their craft, and the addition of Daniel Davison? Come on, boys. At some point, it’s just unfair. Also, the video for “Map Change” makes Austin cry.

06. [Curveball Answer] Various Artists – Batman Forever Soundtrack (1995, Atlantic Records)
– Ok. Shut up. This soundtrack is fire! Everyone knows “Kiss From a Rose,” but did you know that this compilation also includes U2, Nick Cave, The Offspring, Method Man and so many more? Early on in Dead Friends’ life, we bonded hard watching Batman Forever and quoting every single line and singing along to that Flaming Lips song about blowing your boss’ head off. It’s quite possible that this was/is the crux of our band’s existence.

Since you’re better acquainted with the band’s musical tastes, have a look at Dead Friends’ recently released music video for “Down For Good.”