I went in to writing this review of Urbana, IL-based indie folk-rockers The Palace Flophouse's new release Bad Friends Forever with absolutely no expectations, as it would be my first introduction to the band. This is not their first release, which shows in the quality of the songs - most of them have a healthy level of maturity in the songwriting and instrumentation. It is ultimately this maturity which gives the album its strongest virtues and makes it worth a listen.The first track, “Just A Bad Friend,” starts the album off in proper fashion with some good crunchy guitar and confident vocals from Bradley Bergstrand. The album continues with “Hostage Situation,” one of the best tracks on the album. The harmonies between vocalist/guitarist Bradley and keyboardist Gretchen Bergstrand make for a very nice sound, and the fast tempo is a good change of pace from track one. Nate Fry, the band's bass player, really shines in this one, and I wonder if the bass was purposely mixed a bit louder than normal to highlight his groovy bass line.
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