Acclaimed alt-pop duo ‘joan’ has released their highly anticipated single and video for “don’t wanna be your friend” out now via Photo Finish Records. The single is the first taste of their debut album which took over three years to create. The track emerged after the band returned home from their biggest headline tour yet. Co-written with their friend Jon Capeci from the band Nightly, “don’t wanna be your friend” details the all too relatable feeling of being in a relationship with someone you love and feel close to but knowing that you need to move on as that person is not the right one for you. joan further reveals, “it’s also about growing up though and knowing that you just can’t continue being friends with each other because you know how that situation turns out. hope this song resonates with you in some way – makes you realize you need to cut that person out of your life, makes you move, makes you want to start a band, makes you want to call your best friend .”
The track features colorful synths over electronic-dipped landscapes and dream-filled melodies culminating into a sing-a-long worthy chorus. The song is a standout and empowering pop anthem all about moving on. The accompanying video shows joan’s light-hearted and comedic side complete with an alien invasion to boot.
The duo (Alan Benjamin Thomas and Steven Rutherford) spent the past few years building their world, single by single, tour date by tour date; from their debut EP, 2019’s portra, to the much-loved cloudy & its sister EP partly cloudy, to 2021’s hi & bye EPs. Their songs have been streamed over 120 million times, with well over a million listeners a month across streaming platforms.
joan has enjoyed the US and international tours supporting the likes of Jeremy Zucker, COIN, Bloc Party, and The Aces, as well as playing to fans across Asia with headline shows and festivals in the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, and Hong Kong – they return to Asia for the biggest shows yet, includes dates at a basketball arena and a theme park.
joan’s infectious blend of pop eras & styles belies their roots in Little Rock, Arkansas. Still, their sense of warmth and community from those around them at home gives their music a sense of belonging, often missing from others, and that extends to their fanbase, with whom they interact via a successful Patreon page and through free meet & greets at every show.
Next year promises to be the band’s biggest yet, with the release of their debut album and worldwide touring & festivals. For further information on the band and tour dates, visit the following links:
Images provided by Mora May Agency
About Author
