Breakout Alt-pop Artist young friend Shares New EP ‘scaredy cat’

Today, breakout alt-pop artist young friend proudly shares his latest effort, the five-song EP scaredy cat. The dynamic release sees songwriter Drew Tarves take a reflective tone with his most vulnerable songwriting to date. Writing anthems for today’s generation, Tarves opens up about relationships in the digital age, the troubles of breaking up, and the insecurities that come with growing up.

To celebrate the new release, Spotify is featuring young friend on an exclusive New Music Friday billboard in downtown Toronto. Already a selection for the platform’s RADAR program, young friend is a proven artist on the rise.

Listen to scaredy cat on all digital retailers (here).

Accompanying the EP is a mesmerizing music video for the EP’s thesis statement “feral canadian scaredy cat.” With head-spinning production from co-director Zachary Vague and incredible VFX work from Sterling Larose, we see young friend’s surreal vision for the alt-rock banger come to life. The cinematic black & white imagery calls to mind experimental arthouse motion pictures with dreamy sequences combined with AI technology that explodes to an epic climax.

“Together we wanted to make something that would be a deeper, more abstract exploration into Drew’s fears and feelings of isolation,” creative director Zachary Vague explains. “Using more surrealist imagery and theatrical set pieces we tried to create  a world that feels ever more dangerous and on the edge of destruction. We wanted to reflect that and the looming of fears of our generation.”

young friend elaborates: “feral canadian scaredy cat was probably the best experience I’ve had making a video yet. I feel super lucky to be able to collaborate with Zachary [Vague] & Sterling [Larose]. we felt that this song was a step outside of the music I’ve released in the past and really wanted the visuals to reflect that. The video is really special to me and i think that we’re all very proud of how the ideas were brought to life.”

Watch & Share the “feral canadian scaredy cat” Official Music Video:
https://youtu.be/w35IV9n83dg

With songs that sound like the last few coveted days of summer, 22-year-old Drew Tarves’ hopeful and honest perspective on the highs and lows of youth are embedded in his lyrics.

After releasing the buzz-building and rap-leaning mixtape yours kindly, in 2019, Tarves continued to refine his sound—drawing from the intimate indie rock of inspirations like Bon Iver, Phoebe Bridgers, and Andy Shauf—amassing millions of streams with a series of singles released over the last two years.

In September 2022, Tarves made his Nettwerk debut with HOW DID WE GET HERE? The release acts as a practical mission statement for this talented singer-songwriter—showcasing Tarves’ innate tunefulness and lovingly slack croon, which adorns this collection of wistful guitar pop that’s as thought-provoking as it is purely transportative. Written and recorded over the last year with the help of producers Aldn and marinelli (Wallace, Spill Tab), it captures the young friend project in a state of looking back while charting a new path forward. “I love that feeling of nostalgia, and I’m constantly searching for those old feelings throughout my life,” Tarves explains. “There’s something very beautiful about them that I’m attracted to.”

HOW DID WE GET HERE? leveled up young friend with rave reviews from SHEESH Media, EARMILK, Ones to Watch, The Luna Collective, and more. He’s received inclusion on PlayStation’s in-game music playlists, and was selected for Spotify’s RADAR Canada Emerging Artist program which included a billboard in downtown Toronto.

Track List: