Ride Along Young Friend’s Debut Album ‘Motorcycle Sound Effects’
Sam Plascencia and Jenny Sorto
Rising Vancouver indie gem Drew Tarves, aka young friend, debuts his long-awaited first album, motorcycle sound effects. The artist describes the 12-track record as a “genre-bending fever dream,” delving into his deepest thoughts and nuances of relationships.
Photo by Zachary Vague
Tarves refines his earnest standout sound to narrate his experiences, “I think one of my favorite things to do when writing songs is to tell a story. There’s a few times on this record where I become this character in order to tell a specific story, and I think that's the fun part about writing songs.”
The record starts on a high note with the cheeky track “golden rule,” immediately drawing into the guitar-driven melody about the twists and turns of hookup culture. A strong follow-up, “loose” is punchy, with a bassline anchoring the song about an unraveling relationship troubled by uncertainty. The track builds into a loud, layered chaos of sound mirroring Tarves’ anxious, sinking feelings.
Keeping up with the grungy hooks, “american spirit” opens with a kinetic guitar riff layered beneath a deep drone of Tarves’ voice. Just shy of a minute, the third track serves as an interlude, leading into the next chapter—chaotic and unguarded.
Instantly “eye to eye” drops with a bold, dizzying riff. The song is an honest outcry to the tumultuous, manic habits when you fall in love. Diving deeper into the somber, “thank you for the ride” offers a look into the vulnerable details of the romance. In a series of moody tracks, Tarves questions his patterns paired with reverberating rhythmic backbones.
Leading us into a shift in tone, “sweet tooth” finds Tarves contemplating a broken relationship as he repeats the line, ‘I’m falling again.’ The soft, sentimental narration pairs perfectly with the gentle guitar strumming and piano throughout the song. Ending with the lyric, ‘I don’t want to be a stranger,’ sets the stage for the next track, “stranger.” An almost hopeful feeling washes over the song, which yearns for the familiarity of a person once known. The bridge is a whispered confession to the former love interest, who is now a stranger. The wistful emotions mark the middle of the record, leading us deeper into Tarves’ storytelling.
Progressing from the pop-rock punch at the start of the record, “the real deal” offers a soft transition into a country-folk break. The acoustics paired with the gentle wisp of Tarves’ heartfelt serenade seamlessly lead into the following track, “trouble.” Embracing his softer side, the track’s ethereal echo personifies trouble as a past lover. Fading into a light melody, Tarves admits his reflective and fleeting wish. ‘All I ask of you is to love me too,’ he confesses on “soft light.”
Nearing the end of the ride, Tarves is self-aware, owning up to his mistakes and bad habits on “i like girls.” Admitting to a penchant for dysfunctional relationships, the song builds into echoing vocals and horns. Closing the record is the first single released from the album “boyfriend material.” A shameless declaration of giving into lust and disinterest in a committed relationship, the song is a fitting end to an unabashed and candid album.
A fearless debut from young friend, motorcycle sound effects takes us through a winding ride of bittersweet moments and fleeting sentiments. Delivering grungy riffs, folk undercurrents, and a drop of country twang, the project shines with Tarves finding his voice as a songwriter, toeing the line between reality and fiction to keep us immersed.
