West Friends are back with their latest single, โIt Is What It Is,โ and it might just be their most emotionally charged release yet. Dropping May 9 ahead of their debut album Junk Drawer, the track sees singer-songwriters Jordan Renshaw and Isaiah Dominguez diving into musical and lyrical darker waters, while still keeping their pop-punk roots intact.
The song begins gently, opening with clanking sounds before erupting into fuzzy, distorted guitars and a pummeling drumbeat that pulls no punches. Itโs a gritty, blazing introduction to a song about emotional burnout and the masks we wear to keep functioning.
What really stands out is the vocal dynamic between Jordan and Isaiah. They trade lines in a tight split, bouncing lyrics off each other with a desperate clarity. One voice carries the weight of monotony and numbness, while the other breaks free, letting out everything thatโs been repressed. This intense back-and-forth is almost like a stereo effect, making you feel like youโre caught between two internal monologues spiraling in different directions.
Lyrically, โIt Is What It Isโ reads like a poetic unraveling of dissociationโlines like โCalifornia sobering / Circling the drain againโ and โFake feels better / But what does it mean if the space in between / Is all rainy weatherโ reflect a generational ache that we can all feel in our bones. The song just throws its hands up with a sharp, knowing shrug, which is exactly what makes it hit so hard.
Sonically, this track marks a bolder, heavier step for West Friends, blending traditional pop-punk angst with flashes of prog-rock intensity and anthemic choruses. It reminds that sometimes, letting it all burn a little is the only honest thing left to do. โIt Is What It Isโ might be just the anthem you are looking for, if you are also faking your way through the noise to make it out.
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Photo Credit: Sarina Solem
Review by: Naomi Joan