True Friends (song)

"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.

"True Friends"
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

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]

Charts
Chart (2015) Peak
position
Belgian Singles (Ultratip Flanders)[22] 74
UK Singles (OCC)[23] 91
UK Rock and Metal (OCC)[24] 2
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[25] 22

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[26] Gold 35,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Offner, Daniel (14 October 2015). "Bring Me The Horizon Making Major Waves Stateside". Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  2. Carter, Emily (24 August 2015). "Bring Me The Horizon Drop New Track, True Friends". Kerrang!. Bauer Media. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  3. Carter, Emily (20 August 2015). "Bring Me The Horizon Tease New Song, True Friends". Kerrang!. Bauer Media. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  4. Butler, Will (24 August 2015). "Bring Me The Horizon unveil new track, 'True Friends'". Gigwise. Giant Digital. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  5. "Bring Me The Horizon - True Friends". Banquet Records. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  6. Bryant, Tom (11 September 2015). "Bring Me The Horizon are back with an epic reinvention". Alternative Press. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  7. Morton, Luke (6 November 2015). "What is Bring Me The Horizon's True Friends actually about?". TeamRock. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  8. Sykes, Oliver (Narrator) (4 September 2015). That's the Spirit (Track by Track Commentary) by Bring Me the Horizon. Spotify. |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  9. Renshaw, David (11 September 2015). "Bring Me The Horizon - 'That's The Spirit'". NME. Time Inc. UK. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  10. Swanson, Emily (24 August 2015). "Bring Me The Horizon Release Lyric Video For "True Friends"". Blunt Mag. nextmedia. Archived from the original on 25 January 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  11. Childers, Chad (5 November 2015). "Bring Me the Horizon Offer Murder Mystery in 'True Friends' Video". Loudwire. Townsquare Media. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  12. Milton, Jamie (5 November 2015). "Bring Me the Horizon unveil 'True Friends' video". DIY. Sonic Media Group. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  13. Sharp, Tyler (19 November 2015). "Bring Me The Horizon unleash "True Friends" live music video". Alternative Press. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  14. "Bring Me The Horizon: 'True Friends' Performance Clip From New York City". Blabbermouth.net. 19 November 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  15. Biddulph, Andy (17 September 2015). "Bring Me The Horizon - That's The Spirit". Rock Sound. Freeway Press Inc. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  16. Mack, Emmy. "Bring Me The Horizon - That's The Spirit". Music Feeds. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  17. Monger, James Christopher. "That's the Spirit - Bring Me the Horizon: Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  18. "28 August 2015 - 03 September 2015". Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  19. "18 September 2015 - 24 September 2015". Official Singles Chart Top 100. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  20. "27 November 2015 - 03 December 2015". Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  21. "Hot Rock Songs: Bring Me the Horizon - Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  22. "Discografie Bring Me the Horizon". ultratop.be (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  23. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  24. "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  25. "Bring Me the Horizon Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  26. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2018 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
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