True Friends (song)

Last updated

"True Friends"
TrueFriendsBMTH.jpg
Single by Bring Me the Horizon
from the album That's the Spirit
Released20 November 2015 (2015-11-20)
Genre
Length3:52
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Jordan Fish
  • Oliver Sykes
Bring Me the Horizon singles chronology
"Throne"
(2015)
"True Friends"
(2015)
"Follow You"
(2016)
Music video
"True Friends" on YouTube

"True Friends" is a song by British rock band Bring Me the Horizon. Produced by keyboardist Jordan Fish and vocalist Oliver Sykes, it was featured on the band's 2015 fifth studio album That's the Spirit . The song was also released as the fourth single from the album on 20 November 2015, reaching number 91 on the UK Singles Chart and topping the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart.

Contents

Promotion and release

"True Friends" was first released on 23 August 2015 in the form of a lyric video on the band's official YouTube channel, [2] after being teased by the band for a number of days. [3] It was reportedly due to be premiered on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 radio show on Apple Music, but this was cancelled. [4] On 20 November, the song was released as a single in the form of a limited edition 7" vinyl. [5]

Composition and lyrics

"True Friends" is a song about disloyalty. [6] Speaking to TeamRock, vocalist Oliver Sykes has explained that the hook "True Friends stab you in the front" is based on a quote credited to Irish playwright Oscar Wilde. [7] The song is "not about anyone in particular", although Sykes has revealed that "It's about some people more than it is others, but it's all about one event in particular that spurred it on. It's about people that I thought were my friends, my very good friends, doing something to me that I just didn't see coming in a way I never thought they would." [7]

In a track-by-track commentary of That's the Spirit for Spotify, the frontman added that "True Friends" is about "coming to peace with [anger] ... [and] letting those people know that I can forget but never forgive". [8] In his review of That's the Spirit, David Renshaw for the NME claimed that on "True Friends", Sykes "maintains a sense of paranoia and emotional vulnerability amid the cavernous sounds". [9] The song has been noted to "unleashed their [Bring Me the Horizon] inner emo kid". [10]

Music video

The music video for "True Friends" was directed by Bring Me the Horizon frontman Oliver Sykes and released on 5 November 2015. [11] Described as a "murder mystery revolving around a family" by TeamRock's Luke Morton, [7] it features a story which "centers on a detective (Steve Oram) who is being haunted by his own past misdeeds". [11] The video was praised by Loudwire's Chad Childers, who described it as "a powerful storytelling tool" and "one of the more chilling and intense videos of the year". [11] Similarly, DIY magazine's Jamie Milton praised the video's "thriller epic plot" and dramatic nature. [12] In November, the band also released a video of their live performance of the song at Webster Hall in New York City earlier in the year. [13] [14]

Critical reception

Writing for Gigwise, Will Butler claimed that "True Friends" was "in keeping with the more accessible sounds of 'Happy Song' and 'Throne'", describing it as "aggressive". [4] Rock Sound writer Andy Biddulph dubbed it an "angsty, fist-pumping arena rock anthem" which he claimed was "ready-made for pyro blasts and sold-out arenas". [15] Emmy Mack of Music Feeds claimed that "True Friends" was "bordering dangerously on emo", as well as describing it as the track which is closest to the post-hardcore genre on the album. [16] On the other hand, AllMusic's James Christopher Monger criticised the main hook of the song, which he described as a "second-hand embarrassment-inducing" lyric. [17]

Commercial performance

"True Friends" entered the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart at number 2 on 28 August 2015, [18] before registering on the main UK Singles Chart at number 91 three weeks later. [19] After moving up and down the top ten for a number of weeks, it later topped the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart on 27 November, replacing Fall Out Boy's "Centuries". [20] In the United States, the track reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart. [21] Elsewhere, it peaked at number 74 on the Belgian Ultratip chart in the Flanders region. [22]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. [23]

Charts

Chart performance for "True Friends"
Chart (2015)Peak
position
Belgian Singles (Ultratip Flanders) [22] 74
UK Singles (OCC) [24] 91
UK Rock & Metal (OCC) [25] 2
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs ( Billboard ) [26] 22

Certifications

Certifications for "True Friends"
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [27] Platinum70,000
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [28] Gold30,000
Poland (ZPAV) [29] Gold10,000
United Kingdom (BPI) [30] Silver200,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bring Me the Horizon</span> British rock band

Bring Me the Horizon are a British rock band, formed in Sheffield in 2004. The group currently consists of lead vocalist Oli Sykes, drummer Matt Nicholls, guitarist Lee Malia and bassist Matt Kean. They are signed to RCA Records globally and Columbia Records exclusively in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bring Me the Horizon discography</span>

British rock band Bring Me the Horizon have released six studio albums, two live albums, two compilation albums, one remix album, two extended plays (EPs), one demo album, 35 singles, two video albums, 38 music videos, two other releases and three other appearances. Formed in Sheffield in 2004 by vocalist Oliver Sykes, guitarists Lee Malia and Curtis Ward, bassist Matt Kean and drummer Matt Nicholls, the band released their debut EP This Is What the Edge of Your Seat Was Made For on Thirty Days of Nights Records in 2005, which reached number 41 on the UK Budget Albums Chart. After signing with British independent record label Visible Noise, the group released their debut full-length studio album Count Your Blessings in 2006, which reached the top 100 of the UK Albums Chart and the top 10 of the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart. The 2008 follow-up Suicide Season reached the UK top 50 and charted in the US for the first time when it reached number 107 on the Billboard 200. In November 2009, an expanded version of the album titled Suicide Season Cut Up! was released, featuring remixes and videos.

<i>There Is a Hell Believe Me Ive Seen It. There Is a Heaven Lets Keep It a Secret.</i> 2010 studio album by Bring Me the Horizon

There Is a Hell Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is a Heaven Let's Keep It a Secret. is the third studio album by British rock band Bring Me the Horizon. It was released on 4 October 2010 by Visible Noise. The album was produced by Fredrik Nordström and Henrick Udd at IF Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden, with additional work at Sunset Lodge Studios in Los Angeles, California. It features guest vocals from Canadian singer Lights, British singer Josh Franceschi, and American vocalist Josh Scogin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It Never Ends</span> 2010 single by Bring Me the Horizon

"It Never Ends" is a song by British rock band Bring Me the Horizon. Produced by Fredrik Nordström and Henrick Udd, it was featured on the band's 2010 third studio album There Is a Hell Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is a Heaven Let's Keep It a Secret. The song was released as the lead single from the album on 20 August 2010, and was the band's first song to chart when it reached number 103 on the UK Singles Chart, number 3 on the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart and number 11 on the UK Independent Singles Chart.

<i>Sempiternal</i> (album) 2013 studio album by Bring Me the Horizon

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shadow Moses (song)</span> 2013 single by Bring Me the Horizon

"Shadow Moses" is a song by British rock band Bring Me the Horizon. Written by vocalist Oliver Sykes, guitarist Lee Malia and keyboardist Jordan Fish, it was produced by Terry Date and featured on the band's 2013 fourth studio album Sempiternal. The song was released as the lead single from the album on 11 January 2013, reaching number 82 on the UK Singles Chart and number 2 on the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drown (Bring Me the Horizon song)</span> 2014 single by Bring Me the Horizon

"Drown" is a song by British rock band Bring Me the Horizon released on 21 October 2014. Originally released as a stand-alone single, a remixed version features on the band's fifth studio album That's the Spirit and was released as the lead single. The track, musically, marks a shift away from the band's previously established metalcore sound. Rather, it was described by critics as a pop punk-leaning emo and rock song, being the later showcased as arena rock. It is available to play in the music video game Guitar Hero Live, added on 12 January 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Happy Song (Bring Me the Horizon song)</span> 2015 single by Bring Me the Horizon

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<i>Thats the Spirit</i> 2015 studio album by Bring Me the Horizon

That's the Spirit is the fifth studio album by British rock band Bring Me the Horizon. The album was released on 11 September 2015, and marks a departure from the group's metalcore roots, in favour of a less aggressive alternative rock and metal style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Can You Feel My Heart</span> 2013 single by Bring Me the Horizon

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Throne (song)</span> 2015 single by Bring Me the Horizon

"Throne" is a song by British rock band Bring Me the Horizon. Produced by keyboardist Jordan Fish and vocalist Oliver Sykes, it was featured on the band's 2015 fifth studio album That's the Spirit and released as the third single from the album on 24 July 2015. The single topped the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart and the US Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, and reached number 51 on the UK Singles Chart and number 12 on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Follow You (Bring Me the Horizon song)</span> 2016 single by Bring Me the Horizon

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oh No (Bring Me the Horizon song)</span> 2016 single by Bring Me the Horizon

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References

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