The Best Friends The Odyssey

Say hi to your new best friends. Part hippie, part hipster, part smalltown beach band, they're literally called The Best Friends, and they are so much fun to listen to that you'll have a hard time resisting their charm.

So how do I begin to try and explain who The Best Friends are? Let's just say they're hard to pin down. Their sound switches from fun doo-wop to loud rock and then back down to mellow folk all over the course of one album.

I really can't try to do this band justice in words -- they'll start off a night energetically jamming to funk songs and then all of the sudden start a great rock cover of Prince's famous "Purple Rain." Who does that nowadays? I don't even know.

I guess it fits that the band is made up of five truly unique beach dudes from quirky Santa Cruz, CA. They got their start only two years ago, and now the band has finally released Playdate, their first official EP, after bouncing around the local Bay Area scene as bar favorites.

The Best Friends will be playing more shows this coming autumn, so you should definitely check their website if you're in the area. For the time being (and for all of you outside of CA), you can download their EP for free from Bandcamp. I highly recommend heading over there to check out their unparalleled ability to switch from hilarious and funk-sounding (e.g. "Booty Scones") to Damien Rice-inspired (e.g. "All But You") in one track change. Seriously one-of-a-kind.