The Follow Ups: Know Who Your Friends Aren’t
Released: June 3, 2024
Format: Vinyl LP, CD, Digital Download
Label: Mom’s Basement Records / Faster and Louder Records
From: Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
If you’re not already blasting The Follow Ups, what the hell are you even doing? Their latest album, Know Who Your Friends Aren’t, dropped on June 3, 2024, and it’s nothing short of a punk rock masterpiece. With gritty, notty vocals, razor-sharp humor, and hooks so catchy they should be illegal, this album is a serious contender for punk release of the year.
Whether you’re moshing in the pit or singing your heart out while pumping your fist, this is the kind of record that sticks with you. Every track is a banger, and it’s clear that The Follow Ups came to remind us why they’re one of the best things to come out of Canada since poutine.
A Punk Rock Journey
I’ve been hooked on The Follow Ups since their 2018 release The Half Of It. If you haven’t checked it out, tracks like “At The Drive-In” and the title song are absolute essentials. Their 2019 follow-up, Don’t Like You Either, kept the momentum going with standouts like “Monsters.” So when Know Who Your Friends Aren’t dropped, I was all in.
A special shoutout to Jordan Elijah from Faster and Louder Records, who personally handed me a copy at a Sloppy Seconds show in Detroit. Not only did he deliver, but he threw in a bonus CD because punk rock rules. Thanks, Jordan—you’re the real MVP.
Track Highlights
The album kicks off with a blast—“Freakin’ Out” had me hooked after a single play and landed on my monthly playlist immediately. Next up is the earworm “My Crow Phone” and the ridiculously fun “I’m From Botswana”—both tracks have been on repeat way too much.
Other standouts include:
• “Reverso” – Catchy as hell and impossible not to sing along to.
• “Unhappy Birthday” – A punk anthem dripping with sarcasm.
• “The Scary Bop” – A riot of a track that’ll have you pogoing in your living room.
Honestly, there isn’t a bad song on this album. Every track is fast, fun, and full of the kind of energy that makes punk rock the greatest genre on earth.
For Fans Of…
If you dig bands like The Ramones, The Jasons, Teen Idols, FYP, Sloppy Seconds, Teenage Bottlerocket, Screeching Weasel, The Queers, or Diesel Boy, Know Who Your Friends Aren’t will fit right into your collection. It’s fast, loud, and unapologetically punk.
Final Thoughts
Know Who Your Friends Aren’t is punk rock perfection—raw, funny, and so catchy you’ll be humming it for days. If there’s any justice in the world, this album will spark a full-blown tour that brings The Follow Ups to Detroit. I need to see this live chaos unfold.
Do yourself a favor and grab this record. Vinyl, CD, digital—whatever your jam is, just get it. Punk rock isn’t dead, and The Follow Upsare proof it’s alive, kicking, and screaming all the way from Moncton.
