Navigating the choppy waters of the music industry with a compass of camaraderie: Make Friends’ journey from campus to working with modern indie royalty is a testament to the power of genuine connection in a digital age. Check out our latest Hype playlist cover feature.
Words: Stephen Ackroyd.
Photos: Jennifer McCord.
Maybe most of our mates end up feeling, in some form or another, quite digital these days, but one Bristol band is determined to make them musical. Make Friends, a quartet of indie-pop alchemists, are busy transforming the everyday into auditory gold, one catchy chorus at a time. There’s a certain magic that happens when four pals decide to make music together. In the case of Make Friends, that magic has been brewing since their university days, resulting in a potent blend of indie-pop that’s catching ears across the UK. As they prepare to release their new EP ‘Loaded Fun’, this quartet is proving that in the world of indie music, good old-fashioned human connection might just be the secret ingredient to success.
The band’s guitarist, Connor Crabb, fresh from his morning caffeine ritual, is eager to share the Make Friends story. “I’ve just polished off the two-cup cafetière all to myself, and now I’m about to sit in the shy sun and tell you all about Make Friends,” he says. Basically the perfect day, right?
Make Friends are a four-piece outfit, each member bringing their unique flavour to the mix. Connor breaks it down for us: “So there’s Tom, very much the Sting of our group, as he’s the lead vocalist and plays bass, and I’m still not quite sure how he does both simultaneously. Max is our beat-keeper, who always smashes it on the drums – in every sense. Then you have David and myself, both on guitar – partners in chime, I like to say. Between Dave and Tom, they tend to write a lot of the core parts of tracks, and I’d like to think me and Max come in clutch with the parts we add after, providing that crucial cherry-on-top.”
This dynamic interplay between the band members is evident in their music, a blend of buoyant and left-field that draws comparisons to the likes of Bombay Bicycle Club, Phoenix, and MGMT. It’s a sound that’s been honed since their days as students in Bath, before they made the short but significant jump to Bristol.
The journey of Make Friends thus far reads like a Greatest Hits compilation of indie band dreams come true. When asked to narrow down the highlights, Connor isn’t lacking in moments to pick from. “I imagine this is like asking to pick a favourite child,” he muses.
But pick he does, diving into his top three band-based joys – because who doesn’t love a good list? “The success of our song ‘Ellie’ has been really special for us,” Connor says. At a time when success is often reduced to cold, hard numbers, Make Friends found something warmer. “At times, the digital age can just seem like numbers on a screen, and you can feel a slight disconnect between yourself and the listener,” Connor explains.
But then comes the moment of realisation, the digital equivalent of looking out at a sea of faces singing your lyrics back to you. “To stop and reflect that our song had been streamed globally millions of times over was truly humbling,” he says, as if still in disbelief.
This digital triumph, however, is just the tip of the iceberg. Make Friends have also caught the ear of some of the UK’s most storied institutions, a fact that still seems to leave Connor slightly starstruck.
“We’ve been so fortunate to have consistent support from local radio, like BBC Introducing in the West,” he begins. “Being invited to do live sessions at their in-house studio, and even a session at Maida Vale, was a nuts experience.”
But even among these pinch-me moments, one stands out. “Saying that, I still think our track ‘Fever’ making its BBC Radio 1 debut made me truly giddy, like a little kid again.”
For a band raised on a diet of Radio 1, this was more than just airplay – it was a childhood dream realised. “Radio 1 is such an iconic institution, and to feature one day felt like a real bucket-list item when I first started out playing music,” Connor explains, “so it was a magical, reaffirming moment.”
Yet, for all the radio plays and streaming numbers, Make Friends find their joy in the simpler aspects of band life.
“We’ve had the privilege of playing so many lush shows over the years,” he begins, “from our first sell-out shows in our hometown of Bristol, going all up and down the country, visiting cities I’ve never seen before, to supporting Sundara Karma back at home late last year.”
But it’s not the bright lights and big stages that Connor cherishes most. “But quite honestly, I think simply being on tour together, the actual shows but also the downtime we get is so sacred.”
In a world of constant connectivity and endless hustle, these moments of shared downtime have become rare treasures. “Nine times out of ten, when we meet up, it is at a rehearsal room, which can feel very regimented in strict work mode,” Connor explains, “as there’s always a goal or purpose driving us and scarcely time to just kick back and shoot the shit.”
“We were spoiled with that at uni, and the moments feel quite few and far between for us to all escape to our shared bubble and leave the world’s woes behind.”
This sense of camaraderie doesn’t just fuel their downtime – it’s the engine that drives their creative process. When it comes to songwriting, Make Friends draw from the well of shared experiences and observations.
“For better or worse, real life has a certain volatility that not only makes for inspiring subject matter, but also doubles up as a form of therapy,” Connor muses. But in a world where it sometimes feels like every song has already been written, Make Friends aim to carve out their own lyrical niche. “We strive to strike a balance between what’s original and what’s overdone,” Connor explains, “so lyrically, the challenge is to evoke familiarity but still be the first to say it.”
It’s a delicate balancing act, one that requires a keen eye for the world around them. “On a personal level, we are moved by the world around us,” Connor says, “so we often choose to draw parallels between the universal struggles and the unique ones.”
In doing so, Make Friends aren’t just writing songs – they’re crafting mirrors, reflecting both the shared experiences of their listeners and the unique perspective of four friends making their way through the world, one chord at a time.
Their latest single, ‘I Lose, You Lose’, is a perfect example of this approach. Connor describes it as “about two people leaving each other, the shared sense of loss between both parties, and, in the end, no winners. Akin to a relationship, ‘I Lose, You Lose’ is two halves coming together – in the first half, those turbulent emotions involved are reflected in the motions of the track, pulsing and hurried, followed by a more mellow resolution, like finding comfort in clarity that you can’t always win.”
“The challenge is to evoke familiarity but still be the first to say it”
Connor Crabb
The single is part of their new EP, which Connor reveals follows “a journey of a relationship, each song told from the perspective of various feelings involved with its ups and downs, sometimes bitter, sometimes sweet. ‘I Lose, You Lose’ is the final track on our EP, concluding the entire experience in quite a dramatic, but unguarded way.”
Make Friends’ sound has been shaped in no small part by their collaboration with Ed Nash of Bombay Bicycle Club fame. The story of how this partnership came about is a testament to the power of connections in the music world. Connor recounts, “Bit of a long story this, but in short: an old label-mate was touring with Liz Lawrence, and Ed was part of the touring band. Our old label-mate kindly recommended us to Ed, and if I recall right, Ed was taken with our song ‘Hesitate’ so then reached out to us to collab – a very pinch-me-moment sort of phone call. Very much not what you know, but who you know in that moment, but we’re incredibly grateful for it. Bombay Bicycle Club were sort of a foundation for our band bonding and forming in the first place, so it was a crazy full-circle moment.”
Working with Nash has brought a new dimension to Make Friends’ creative process. It’s a transition that Connor describes with the wide-eyed enthusiasm of a kid who’s just been handed the keys to a sweetshop.
“Up until this EP, everything we’d put out was produced by Pete Sené, which was such an enlightening, informative experience,” Connor reminisces. “We worked with him for around three or four years, and we were truly spoilt by his expertise and enthusiasm for the process.”
But as is often the case in the world of music, change came knocking in the form of geographical necessity. “Pete then relocated out of the area, meaning we were in need of an alternative producer,” Connor explains, “so the timing worked out really serendipitously with Ed.”
The shift from Sené to Nash isn’t just a change of name on the production credits; it’s a whole new approach to crafting their indie-pop gems. “Pete’s approach was to influence songwriting, but his main speciality was padding out our songs, giving them more depth with synths and additional percussion – essentially making them way more exciting. But with Ed, the songwriting mostly starts very much ‘ground up’.”
The result? A creative alchemy that’s yielding gold. “Over time, Tom and Ed have harvested such an innate understanding and creative output together,” Connor enthuses. “And I know that Tom is constantly learning from Ed’s techniques, so the results are always really strong.” It’s a collaboration that promises to push Make Friends into new sonic territories, all while keeping their feet firmly planted in the rich soil of their indie-pop roots.
As Make Friends peer into their crystal ball, the future looks less like a hazy mist and more like a neon-lit highway stretching across continents. Connor, with the quiet confidence of a band on the verge of something big, lays out their roadmap.
“As a band, we really thrive off of live shows, and getting to play bigger and better shows year-on-year emboldens our passion,” he says. But Make Friends aren’t content with conquering just their home turf. “Ultimately, we’d love to start playing shows outside of the UK – a string of shows in mainland Europe, Asia or America would be something truly special.”
Yet, in an era where Spotify plays have replaced gold discs as the music industry’s measure of success, Make Friends haven’t lost sight of the brass tacks. “I think we’ve always been reasonably grounded in our aspirations for the band,” Connor muses, “to get to the point of earning enough through music to make a good living would be a dream in itself.”
“As much as music streaming helps the growth and global reach of our band, the royalties seem to pale in comparison as to what is deemed ‘fair’ to the artist, so I’m hoping that legislation catches up with the development and evolution of music consumption to help push this dream along.”
But strip away the dreams of world tours and equitable streaming payouts, and you’ll find that for Make Friends, music is less about fame and fortune and more about that ineffable spark between artist and audience. Connor explains, “To me, the best part of being in a band is the live experience – to have anyone take the time to show up, and support is always so appreciated, but to then hear people sing your songs back at you, to share a moment in the room is such an immense feeling.”
It’s not just about the gigs, though. For Make Friends, their music is a lifeline that stretches far beyond the confines of a sweaty venue. “When we’ve had people reach out to say our music has helped them out of a hard time, or a couple dub a song of ours as ‘theirs’, to have any sort of impact, lasting or fleeting, it’s really touching to hear,” Connor says, his words carrying the weight of a band who understand the power of their art. “Not that it had much bearing on settling on our band name, but the sentiment of ‘make friends’ certainly transcends into our ethos.”
But what of the men behind the music? When they’re not crafting earworms or playing to adoring crowds, the members of Make Friends are… well, just a bunch of mates from Bristol, really. Connor, it turns out, is something of a shutterbug. “I’m quite into photography,” he reveals, adding with a chuckle, “if you take a scroll through our band’s Instagram, you’ll notice I’m not in a lot of the photos as I’m usually behind the camera.”
But this isn’t your average Instagram influencer with a ring light and a dream. Connor’s photographic pursuits are decidedly old school. “I prefer to shoot on 35mm film,” he says, sounding like someone either very passionate, or who has had to justify their artistic choices when everyone else just reaches for their mobile phone. “I appreciate the limitations of analogue as opposed to digital, as each shot really does count, so you have to lean into every moment.”
As for the rest of the band, their off-stage pursuits paint a picture of a group as colourful and varied as their musical influences. “Our hometown is forever changing, so as a band, we love to catch up in the independent bars and pubs that Bristol is teeming with,” Connor says, his words conjuring images of late-night debates over pints in cosy, lamp-lit corners.
But it’s not all sedentary pursuits. “Max is a local legend when it comes to Padel,” Connor reveals, “he must get restless behind the kit, so lets loose on the court.”
And then there’s the band’s dirty little secret – their fierce racing rivalries. “There’s also a never-ending scrap for podium position in Mario Kart,” Connor admits, adding with a touch of pride, “which is the first thing packed when we head on tour.” It’s a reminder that beneath the serious business of making music, Make Friends are, at heart, just that – friends, making their way through the world one power-up at a time.
With their new EP on the way, Make Friends’ journey from university mates to rising indie stars is a testament to their talent, hard work, and the enduring power of friendship. As they continue to craft their indie-pop gems, one thing is clear: in music, as in life, it’s better to make friends than to make enemies. ■
Make Friends’ new track ‘I Lose, You Lose’ is out now. Their EP, ‘Loaded Fun’, is out 13th September. Follow Dork’s Hype Spotify playlist here.
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