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Oct 01, 2021 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Maxine Tamoto

Indie pop duo Bestfriend is back with their debut EP, places i’ve lived. Conceived as a tribute to the people, places, and experiences that shaped the band’s early years, the new EP was created remotely, with Stacy Kim on the west coast and Kaelan Geoffrey on the east. Trading rough demos back and forth, the pair took cues from plaintive singer/songwriters like Big Thief, and Julia Jacklin, combined with slick indie pop production for a heartfelt work of sincere beauty.

The band’s new EP collects together last year’s “Does It Matter” and “Last Bus in the A.M,” along with this year’s most recent single “Hannah in the City,” and a handful of new tracks. The record opens with “You Want Everyone To Love You,” an undeniable highlight of the new offerings. The pair begins on an atmospheric opening, filled with washed-out keys and thrumming synths, before steadily building into a pulsating technicolor finale after the track’s heartwrenching final line一”You want everyone to love you / Except for me.”

From there, the pair runs through their triplet of gorgeous singles, beginning with the nocturnal indie pop melodies of “Does It Matter.” Meanwhile, “Hannah in the City” is a yearning portrait of queer love and sunny nostalgia, filled with sweet vignettes of intimacy and an aching heartbroken core. Finally, “Last Bus in the A.M.” is a soaring anthem for all of the kids who’ve ever felt out of place at a party.

The EP then closes with a pair of new tracks, the first of with is the guitar-driven balladry of “For Grace, After a Party.” The track serves as the comedown from the high of “Last Bus in the A.M.” with Kaelan taking on lead vocals in the first half for a subdued, layered performance. Finally, the EP ends off with the gorgeously intimate closer, “Good To See You.” Stacy and Kaelan perfectly capture the strange ache of a heartbreak you thought was forgotten, with sparse piano chords building into a tremendous wave of emotion for the EP’s climactic moment. It’s a pitch-perfect ending to the EP’s reflective themes, saying goodbye to the past in a towering finale, backed by dozens of Stacy and Kaelan’s friends.

As the EP ends, it feels like a camera roll tour through treasured memories, not only the band’s but your own as well. Bestfriend’s eulogies to the past are the kind of songs tailor-made for you to find yourself within. To that effect, Bestfriend is also starting a letter-writing campaign, where fans can write letters to their past selves and receive an anonymous response.

The band says of the EP, “places i’ve lived is a series of letters to the people and places we’ve grown with the past few years, which is to say that in a way, it’s been in the works for nearly a decade now. we’re so proud that it’s out in the world now and hope y’all love it as much as we do!”

Check out the full EP below, out now. Be sure to also keep an eye out for Bestfriend’s upcoming sister EP, places i’ve left.