young friend shares debut album ‘motorcycle sound effects’ + Canadian Tour Dates on sale now!

Today, Vancouver indie rocker and JUNO-nominated artist-producer young friend is proud to release his debut album, motorcycle sound effects. The twelve-song effort feels like a culmination of everything multi-hyphenate Drew Tarves has accomplished since his 2021 breakout. He takes on the nuances of growing up (“soft light) and builds a dynamic world full of intimate details about love (“the real deal”), lust (“boyfriend material”), bravado (“american spirit”), and anxiety (“loose”). 

Drew Tarves appeared on Q with Tom Power last week, where the host described the album as being about your 20s. “The years that you figure out who you want to be but also who you don’t want to be, and what you’re going to do about it. The songs are messy and raw and self-reflective, but they’re still sunny.”

To help tell his story and build the world of motorcycle sound effects, Tarves worked with his friend and in-demand producer David Marinelli (FINNEAS, JAWNY, Spill Tab, Wallice). Between trips to Vancouver and Los Angeles, they crafted the narrative and honed it into a dynamic, genre-bending fever dream of an album. 

young friend is also excited to embark on his first headlining Canadian tour. The tour kicks off on June 3rd in Windsor, Ontario, and wraps in Victoria, British Columbia, on July 5th. young friend will be joined by Frances Whitney and Sam Lynch for support. Find the full list of dates below and for more information visit: https://youngfriend.store/pages/tour

Listen & Share young friend motorcycle sound effects here:
https://youngfriend.ffm.to/motorcyclesoundeffects

Drew Tarves’ music as young friend feels classic and immediate all at once, capturing the nostalgia of post-adolescence while diving deep into a pool of self-reflection. His next project is bursting with big feelings and perfect golden light. It feels messy and raw, like long summer nights piling into the back of a pickup truck with all your friends, sprinting to catch the last summer sunset, taking off your shoes and dancing in the grass, falling, getting back up. 

A trained dancer for most of his adolescence, the 24-year-old Vancouver native switched artistic disciplines after spending time jamming with his musician friends. “I found out very quickly that I loved it,” he recalls. “It was my favorite thing to do.” Armed with a guitar and a laptop, Tarves started hashing out early songwriting attempts on GarageBand as he found his own style that suited him: “It was all about experimenting while trying to find what worked for me.”

In 2022, Tarves released his indie-pop debut EP, HOW DID WE GET HERE?, and quickly followed it up with a sophomore in 2023 titled scaredy cat. 2024 brought in his first Canadian and international touring, as well as a JUNO nomination. Now, young friend is releasing his debut full-length motorcycle sound effects, produced by friend and frequent collaborator David Marinelli (FINNEAS, Ashe, JAWNY, Wallice, spill tab). The album pulls inspiration from a multitude of places and artists, landing in this comfy space of new and familiar while also making room for self-discovery. It will take you along for the ride of your life. “This album takes notes from a lot of different artists and bands that I really love, and as a result, it is this sort of genre-bending fever dream album.”

“Motorcycle sound effects is really just about growing up. It’s about the people you encounter and the experiences that make you into the person that you are,” explains Tarves. “I really wanted to capture all the sides of the coin; the shitty sides, the side where I was wrong, the side where I did the right thing, and it still didn’t work out, the side where something is new and exciting and it’s all you can think about, all of it.”

YOUNG FRIEND 2025 SUMMER TOUR DATES:

Jun 03 – Windsor, ON @ Meteor*
Jun 04 – Guelph, ON @ Sonic Hall*
Jun 05 – Toronto, ON @ The Drake Underground*
Jun 06 – Hamilton, ON @ Bridgeworks*
Jun 07 — Kingston, ON @ Something in the Water
Jun 08 – Montreal, QC @ L’Escogriff*
Jun 12 – Penticton, BC @ Dream Café^
Jun 13 – Kelowna, BC @ Red Bird Brewing^
Jun 14 – Kamloops, BC @ The Night Shift on 5th^
Jun 17 – Calgary, AB @ Modern Love*
Jun 18 – Fernie, BC @ The Northern*
Jun 19 – Red Deer, AB @ Bo’s Bar and Stage
Jun 21 — Swift Current, SK @ Long Day’s Night Music Festival
Jun 25 – Regina, SK @ The Exchange*
Jun 26 – Winnipeg, AB @ Sidestage*
Jun 27 – Saskatoon, SK @ The Capital Music Club*
Jun 28 – Edmonton, AB @ Double Dragon*
Jul 05 – Victoria, BC @ Phillips Brewing & Malting Co 

*supported by Frances Whitney
^supported by Sam Lynch

YOUNG FRIEND IN THE PRESS…

“…fuzzy, jangly and all kinds of refreshing, sauntering through glitzy indie-rock riffs and headstrong, energetic rhythms.”
— Paste Magazine

“young friend keeps it casual and cheeky, but can’t help but charm listeners as the chorus melts into an earnest admission.”
– Ones to Watch

“…young friend has established himself as a rising act in heartfelt pop, building an expansive sonic world brimming warm nostalgia and self-reflection.”
–EARMILK

“One remarkable aspect of songwriting is the ability to paint a picture. It’s a rare talent, being able to use words to create a visceral image within the mind of a listener. With his slow-burn acoustic pop hits, young friends has mastered this art.”
– V Magazine