young friend is Ready to Reflect in Debut Album, ‘motorcycle sound effects’
Pleaser had the opportunity to chat with young friend about his intention behind the album, the story that “i like girls” illustrates and his journey from dancer to musician.
PHOTO BY ZACHARY VAGUE
Blessed with the power of blending a multitude of genres, indie artist young friend encapsulates true nostalgia in his debut album, motorcycle sound effects. young friend, whose real name is Drew Tarves, has just released his latest single, “i like girls”, ahead of the album’s release on April 4. Tarves has seen his art evolve over time, but also thinks of this album as an expanded version of his previous EP, bringing in a new sense of depth and maturity.
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Pleaser: Your new single, “i like girls,” is set to come out February 7. Can you walk me through the intention behind this song?
Drew Tarves: I think of “i like girls” as a sort of sequel to “boyfriend material” because “boyfriend material” is this realization that this character is not ready to commit to anything, and he’s afraid of being vulnerable like that with somebody. Then, I feel like “i like girls” is him exploring his messing around phase and being so afraid of commitment that he doesn't want anything to do with it so he's looking for the most uncommitted person to spend time with.
You actually have a line in “i like girls” that’s a reference to “boyfriend material.” You say, “And she’s been sleepin’ at my apartment, asking what the line about the stars meant, honey I don’t f*ckin’ know.” How does this new single continue the story of this character finding the best person for him at this point in time?
DT: It's the continuous storyline of going from point A to point B in this state that he's in. I also think, sonically, it feels like a sequel to me. “boyfriend material” feels very much like an intro, like setting the stage, and “i like girls” feels like if this were a play, this would be a big scene in the play, and this big realization for this character. I'm glad you caught it. What's been the most fun for me is when people are like, “Wait, are you talking about this song?”
This is all leading up to the release of your debut album, motorcycle sound effects. Each song sounds cohesive but still finds a way to blend unexpected genres. Who, or where, did you pull inspiration from in regard to the sound of the album?
DT: I made this record with my friend David Marinelli, and the whole time we were sharing our favorite albums and showing each other stuff that neither of us had heard before. I had never listened to that Father John Misty record, I Love You, Honeybear, and I don't think he'd ever listened to one of my favorite artists, Mount Eerie. So, I was trying to blend all of the different aspects of my tastes, which is sort of early DIY, kind of indie folk, and then also a lot of early 2000s sort of indie rock and folk music that's coming out now, some pop music, and just different alternative stuff that I like. We were just trying to find a way to fit all of these things that I love and that David also loves into one thing.
David was your right-hand man during the creation of this album, as well as during the release of your previous singles. What does that dynamic look like when you guys are making music together?
DT: Well, it's been different every time. The first thing that we worked on together was an EP that came out in February of 2022 and when we worked on that, it was just at his place in Pasadena, and we spent like, five days in his apartment. And then for this one, when we started writing the record, I wanted to go someplace different. There's this peninsula on the coast of Vancouver called the Sunshine Coast. We went and stayed in a cabin there and set up a little makeshift recording studio and wrote a bunch of the key songs for the record there. It was one of the best things I've ever done because I feel like we were doing 50% writing and working, and then 50% just hanging out and cooking, swimming, and reading. It was the best possible experience.
If motorcycle sound effects were a landscape, what would this album look like?
DT: To me, it’s a very Pacific Northwest kind of record. I picture all the tall deciduous trees and the forests that I sort of grew up in and around. Very late spring, early summer, just outside of Vancouver in the woods is how I see it.
You mentioned that this album is all about growing up and all the different sides that come with that. When you were growing up, what album carried that message for you?
DT: There were a bunch of big records for me growing up, at least when I was discovering music of my own that wasn't music my parents were showing me. For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver. I feel like I listened to that so much because you've got this really heartbreaking story of this guy who goes through this breakup and moves away. I feel like that was super integral in my musical upbringing, and sort of brought me to where I am now.
When I learned how to sing, I was just listening to Bon Iver and then learning all the harmonies and then singing along to it in my room and just practicing until I got it right. The most embarrassing thing ever was, I remember having this thought when I was coming up with my own harmonies, and I was like, “I need to get his email so I can send him some of these because he would love my 15-year-old harmonies.”
Did you find his email to send him the harmonies in the end? I feel like he would’ve loved them honestly.
DT: No, I don't think I looked very hard, but I do remember having that thought that If I could get those in front of him, he would love them.
Not a lot of people may know this, but you started as a dancer before you became an artist. Can you walk me through what that transition looked like? Was it seamless?
DT: Honestly, it was pretty natural. I started dancing when I was six years old, and I think I stopped around when I was 17. It all felt very seamless, because I feel like I've always loved music so much, and I've always been a big fan and been a very avid listener. So when I was 16 and started to put myself out there in terms of wanting to learn, I had this group of friends that played music and they started teaching me, and then that developed into, eventually, writing my own music and figuring that out. It all was really, really natural. There wasn't a specific day where I was like, “Today I'm going to stop being a dancer and start being a musician.” It all just sort of blended into one thing. And now here we are, and now I'm trying to dance more and am trying to bring that back in.
You did an incredible job of telling a story through dance for the “boyfriend material” music video. I was completely blown away by every aspect. What was that experience like to combine your two loves?
DT: That was so fun. The choreographer was my best friend growing up from when I was six years old, so to have him come in and choreograph for what I'm doing now, because he's still dancing and he's a professional contemporary dancer, it was so fun to dance with him again and have him be a part of that. The shoot was kind of insane, because we shot from 7 PM until 7 AM overnight because we needed the light to be consistent inside, but it was so much fun. The crew was amazing, and we all had such a good time.
With this new album, how do you feel your music has evolved since your scaredy cat EP?
DT: This one feels quite a bit bigger. I feel like the scaredy cat EP is very introspective and sort of shy in a lot of ways, and maybe a bit more to itself. But this one feels very, “Here I am, I'm trying to get your attention.” It feels like more of a production. Stylistically, it's not that far off. I’m just building on the genre that was being explored on that EP. There's more folk and there's more alternative moments. It just feels a bit more expanded.
Since this album is on the topic of growing up, if you could tell your younger self anything right now, what would it be?
DT: That’s a great question. I think if I could talk to a younger version of myself, I would say, “Don't worry about it, you're going to figure it out.” Especially because when I started writing music, it all felt very daunting, and being somebody that wasn't raised playing music, and then coming into the scene and meeting other musicians and having this imposter syndrome of, “I'm not a real musician because I haven't been playing guitar since I was five.” I had a lot of anxiety around that, but I think I would tell myself that it's fine and you don't have to worry about that, because nobody knows what they're doing. Also, you're going to be making the coolest songs ever.
