Localized: IMAG!NARY FRIENDZ

On Thursday, August 15 at Kilby Court, folk-punk group Sean Baker’s Recycled Stardust and alternative band IMAG!NARY FRIENDZ will play SLUG Localized, opened by singer-songwriter Petr Chubak! As always, the show opens doors at 7:00 p.m., costs just $5 for entry and is sponsored by Riso-Geist.

IMAG!NARY FRIENDZ is an alternative band that describes themselves as “all around the musical spectrum.” Taking inspiration from genres like hip-hop, rap and rock, as well as artists like Mac Miller, Twenty One Pilots, Tyler, the Creator and The Beatles, the trio melds their influences together to create their own original sound. Within their lyrics and instrumentation, their music ranges from harder alternative rock to softer love songs—and sometimes a combination of the two.

With Felipe Moya on guitar and vocals, Carter Lang on bass and Ethan Kearns on drums, the three act more like siblings than they do bandmates. This is expressed through their love for making music. “Sometimes we get at each other’s throats or we get super emotional about something because we care about each other a lot, so that means a lot, you know,” says Kearns.

Just like its members, the band name is funny, different and all-around cool. The name stems from the television show Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, which Lang and his sister would watch growing up, trying to come up with silly band names. As for the exclamation point and usage of “z” in “FRIENDZ,” Lang jokes, “it’s just to be edgy and cool.” “Username taken,” Moya adds with a laugh.

In describing their writing process, Moya explains, “I think it all starts with an idea, it flows so naturally like that.” The band enjoys riffing off of each other and jamming out constantly until they are content with what they’ve created. For IMAG!NARY FRIENDZ, the music comes before the lyrics, where a lot of them are freestyled throughout the process. “It’s never the same, it’s just as it happens,” says Lang.

“I think it all starts with an idea, it flows so naturally like that.”

Over the years, the trio has broadened their horizons with lyrics, shifting away from romance to more randomized topics. “[Lyrics] can have no meaning or can have your own kind of meaning,” Moya explains, discussing that his bandmates helped him realize that.

In the local music scene, Lonely Heights, Sweet Tangerine, future.exboyfriend and Sammy Brue are among the trio’s favorite bands to perform with. Lang calls Lonely Heights his “bread and butter,” revealing his soft spot for pop-punk. The band mentions Brue’s musical experimentation. Kearns recounts their first show with them, as well as future.exboyfriend, at The Monarch in Ogden, expressing how cool it was.

Having played shows all over Utah, the band talks about their experience at the Utah Arts Festival and their love for the local arts scene, not just music. “Everyone was super accepting and very nice, just the way that we all support each other in Utah in general between music, art and all other sorts of mediums … Utah can be one of the biggest hives for artists,” Kearns says. They all speak on the growth of their perspectives from the music communities in downtown Salt Lake, Provo and Ogden.

The bandmates each have a favorite show that they’ve performed together. For Moya, it was their EP release at Kilby Court, which was six tickets away from selling out. For Kearns, it was the Halloween show at The DLC because of the costume contest. For Lang, it was his family’s reunion where they got to see him perform, which he described as “a good time.”

For their single “Signal,” the band was inspired by a show they played in Rexburg, Idaho with Sweet Tangerine. The guys loved the style of pauses they had within their music. On the drive back from the show, Lang’s turn signal acted as the metronome while Moya pulled out his guitar to write a song.

“…We all support each other in Utah in general between music, art and all other sorts of mediums … Utah can be one of the biggest hives for artists.”

IMAG!NARY FRIENDZ is “here to make music that people enjoy and dance to and sing along to,” Lang says. They’re always making new music, recording voice memos and trying incorporating new ideas into their work. See them live at Localized on Thursday, August 15 at Kilby Court and follow them on Instagram at @imaginary.friendz.

Read more Localized interviews here:
Localized: Debrider
Localized: DoomCupcake