The Friend
Sports
Teosto

Boring, but competent indierock from Finland. Mines similar modern rock territory as New Decade (Interpol, et al.) except that The Friend keeps everything under strict control to the point of tedium. Every edge, every sharp word, sanded down to dull dull dullness. Practice makes perfect makes me lose interest. Big aspirations toward arenarock grandeur don't help either, as it only serves to highlight how long the road truly is. I suspect they do well within their own local Turku scene, but when it comes to the world stage, The Friend are small fish in a big, big pond.
- Avi Roig