YOUNG FRIEND’S SOPHOMORE ALBUM, NEW ENTERTAINMENT,
OUT TODAY VIA NETTWERK
BUY / STREAM NEW ENTERTAINMENT
WATCH / SHARE “HARD ROCK” (LIVE PERFORMANCE VIDEO) HERE
‘THE HARD ROCK TOUR’ CONTINUES IN LA, NYC,
AND TORONTO - TICKETS ON SALE NOW
“...a band-first mentality…” – Exclaim!
“...a simply dazzling display of ascendant rock theatrics complete with a propulsive tide…” – Under the Radar
Photo Credit: Zachary Vague // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
Today, Vancouver indie songwriter Drew Tarves, aka young friend, releases his sophomore album, New Entertainment, out now via Nettwerk. The follow-up to his acclaimed 2025 debut, motorcycle sound effects, the 12-track album was recorded live off the floor and fully analog with longtime collaborator and producer David Marinelli (FINNEAS, Wallice, Claud). Tarves took inspiration from I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, the documentary that follows Wilco through the making of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and New Entertainment carries that same energy and spirit – a band in a room, chasing the songs in real time.
It’s a record about fear and love in equal measure - a reckoning with new technology creeping into everyday life and a celebration of human imperfection, physical media, and tangible connection. “All my favorite movies end in catastrophe, I watch ’em over and over, what does that say about me?” So goes the opening track “Hard Rock,” setting the tone for an album that pairs anxiety about the future with deep affection for the here and now.
“I’m worried about artist erasure and technology taking over – algorithms replacing everything that’s near and dear to me,” Tarves explains. “But it’s also about finding a newfound appreciation for the little, natural things that exist within this fabricated world we now live in.”
young friend kicked off “The Hard Rock Tour” with a hometown show at Vancouver’s Hollywood Theatre on November 4th, giving fans a first live taste of the album. The tour continues in Los Angeles with support from Marinelli, New York with support from Hana Eid, and Toronto with support from Lia Pappas Kemps. Find the full list of dates below, and for more information, visit: https://www.youngfriend.work/pages/tour.
BUY / STREAM NEW ENTERTAINMENT
WATCH / SHARE “HARD ROCK” (LIVE PERFORMANCE VIDEO) HERE
MORE ABOUT NEW ENTERTAINMENT
Drew Tarves' music as young friend feels classic and immediate all at once, capturing the nostalgia of post-adolescence while diving deep into a pool of self-reflection. His sophomore album, New Entertainment, is a movement toward the real in protest of the exceedingly fake – in both its message and its process. Tarves taught his band the songs, built out the arrangements together in rehearsal, then took them into the studio for two weeks. “It was all very what we play live is what the album is, very hands on,” he says. “If you make a mistake, you have to do it again. We were taking the ‘let’s just get it right in real time’ approach.” The result pulls from Neil Young, The Band, Wilco and Pavement - a blend of classic rock, twangy country and early-2000s indie, with a bit of softer folk thrown in.
“Hard Rock” touches on the spectacle of the internet (“That’s not a shooting star, it was a CEO burning up on his way to Mars”), while “Grand Canyon” muses on whether seeing is really believing, and the title track wonders about jobs being deleted and art no longer made by humans: “And if one day when the internet is gone we can make new entertainment, isn’t that what you want?”
WATCH / SHARE “MICHAEL WAKES UP” HERE
Tarves provides the antidote in the places and things Tarves refuses to let go of. “The Yard” arrives at a worn, familiar neighborhood bar with a standing cast of characters (“I wanna stay at this bar, I wanna sleep in the yard”), while “Dad’s Garage” is a running tribute of sentimental objects that remind us of the people we love: “A Ford that barely runs, but I swear that I drove it once. A golf club and a pellet gun, the things my dad keeps for fun.”
The themes are deep, but New Entertainment is ultimately about the good times. It’s a celebration of friendship, family, and genuine time spent; of the slow process and the inevitable mistakes. It’s nursing a cold beer at your local bar. It’s taking the scenic route every time. It’s running headfirst at life with your eyes wide open, getting your hands dirty, feeling it all.
WATCH / SHARE “MIRACLE” HERE
YOUNG FRIEND ‘THE HARD ROCK TOUR’ DATES:
November 15 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo LA
November 27 – New York, NY @ Nightclub 101
November 28 – Toronto, ON @ Baby G
YOUNG FRIEND IN THE PRESS…
"...fuzzy, jangly and all kinds of refreshing, sauntering through glitzy indie-rock riffs and headstrong, energetic rhythms." – Paste Magazine
“His music breathes with the same effortless wit as his personality, laced with a conversational intimacy that mirrors the kind of ease you’d find in a late-night chat with a close friend.” – RANGE
"...young friend has established himself as a rising act in heartfelt pop, building an expansive sonic world brimming warm nostalgia and self-reflection." –EARMILK
"young friend keeps it casual and cheeky, but can’t help but charm listeners as the chorus melts into an earnest admission." – Ones to Watch
"One remarkable aspect of songwriting is the ability to paint a picture. It’s a rare talent, being able to use words to create a visceral image within the mind of a listener. With his slow-burn acoustic pop hits, young friends has mastered this art." – V Magazine
Album Art // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
NEW ENTERTAINMENT TRACK LIST
01 Hard Rock
02 Miracle
03 The Yard
04 Dad’s Garage
05 Grand Canyon
06 New Entertainment
07 2 Birds
08 Anything Anything
09 Everything The Light Touches
10 What’s Mine Is Yours
11 Michael Wakes Up
12 If You See It On The News