Two Friends

American electronic dance duo Two Friends craft bright, upbeat anthems similar to Jonas Blue, the Chainsmokers, Louis the Child, and Autograf. Making a name for themselves with high-profile remixes for artists such as Lana Del Rey, they began issuing EPs in the late 2010s, including 2017′s Out of Love. The pair closed the decade with a steady stream of singles and collaborations, including “Useless” with Emily Vaughn, which landed on their 2021 EP of the same name.
True to their name, the project was created by Eli Sones and Matthew Halper, who have been friends since middle school. They began producing together at the end of high school, with Halper bringing his experience with guitar, choir, and music theory to Sones’ hip-hop DJing. Even when they parted ways to attend college, the two continued to record together, releasing remixes and airing a mix series called Friendly Sessions. In 2013, they issued their debut EP, You (Me), which featured “Feel Me” with Priyanka Atreya and “Your Song” with I Am Lightyear. A pair of singles with Jeff Sontag (“Sedated” and “Brighter”) followed, echoing the house anthems of Swedish House Mafia. In 2014, Two Friends released another pair of collaborations (this time with Breach the Summit), “Our Names in Lights” and “Long Way Home.”
After graduating college in 2015, the duo returned with the rock-tinged singles “Forever” and “Overdose” in 2016. Their second EP, Out of Love, arrived on Spinnin' Records the next year, followed by the singles “Emily,” “While We’re Dreaming,” and “Just a Kid.” From there, the duo stayed busy with remixes for the likes of Charlie Puth, Dua Lipa, and others while issuing their own singles and collaborations. In 2021, they released the Useless EP, which featured the title track pairing with Emily Vaughn, as well as “This Will Be My Year” with Point North. They also issued “Love Love” with Ferris and “Life’s Too Short.” ~ Neil Z. Yeung