You might have heard of Two Friends, a DJ/producer duo consisting of Eli Sones and Matthew Halper. Based in Los Angeles, the pair has mixed everything from party classics like “Mr. Brightside” to jams by Tori Kelly, Lana Del Rey, and The Chainsmokers. They’ve also gained notoriety for their hour-long “Big Bootie” mixes. No matter which of their mixes you find yourself listening to, you can be sure you’ll be dancing and moving. However, while this is one of their goals, they are equally hopeful that their music will also resonate with their audiences on an emotional level. After listening to their entire library on Spotify, Echoes in the Industry has determined it does.
When it comes to influences, Two Friends is all over the place in the best of ways. They mix different elements across all genres from dance music, pop, alternative rock to hip-hop. This means Halper and Sones have done something special. By taking elements from so many genres, they manage to create music that attracts a spectrum of listeners and thus have a large audience. This is evident from their 877, 927 monthly listeners on Spotify and 149,000 followers on SoundCloud.
While their musical journey began during their senior year of high school, they’re still a relatively young group considering Sones is 24 and Halper is 25. As both attended college, Sones at Vanderbilt University and Halper at Stanford University, Two Friends has been a long-distance project. The group has only been working together in LA post-graduation since 2015. This makes their 2015 “Award of Independent Excellence” from the Hollywood Music in Media Awards and their 2017 “Top DJ Set” honors from SoundCloud all the more impressive.
Their song “Out of Love”, an original track, featuring Cosmos & Creature is their most listened to track on Spotify with over 10 million streams as of February 26th. It consists of a nice mix of both electronic and real instrumentation and clear flowing vocals. Somehow, the song manages to be both danceable and relaxing at the same time, an impressive feat. Additionally, the lyrics are cleverly crafted and incredibly relatable as most people have felt that feeling of wanting to be the more to someone than they are. Released on their Out Of Love EP in 2017, it’s clear we can expect great things from the duo as they continue their music making journey. Currently on tour, Two Friends had dates across the US. With danceable and relatable music, it’s clear The Just A Kid Tour is set to be an experience unlike any other.