Part of the upside of being Music Editor here at creature is that every now and then I can step in and say “Stop! Listen to this…” Now is such a moment.

The weather has been smokin’ hot in London this week- I know, I saw someone in the hot-pants to prove it- but even this unseasonably warm weather doesn’t compare to the heat this Brooklyn five-piece are packing…

They haven’t even been a group for much more than six-months, but already Friends have made it onto my “Songs for the Summer” list with their new track ‘Friend Crush’. Released on Lucky Number Music (y’know the people who brought you Darwin Deez), Friends boast a classic pop sound and their single ‘Friend Crush’ is simply the epitome of cool…

This Brooklyn quintet are led by lead singer Samantha Urbani whose vocals drip with a gritty sex appeal that relays the heat of a NYC summer. The other members of this collective- Lesley Hann, keys & bass, Oliver Duncan on drums and finally Matthew Molnar and Nikki Joe Shapiro- create the crowd through which Urbani splices and swoons. The bass and percussion on ‘Friend Crush’ is sultry, with an instantaneously memorable keys/guitar hook that’ll have you humming this track for weeks to come. Urbani’s vocals are effortless and simultaneously flawless- this band is definitely one to watch for 2011, and they haven’t even started recording their debut album yet.

Unashamedly, this is the best debut-single I’ve heard all year, and I’m pretty sure that if you download it, your iPod will thank you for it. We’re working our darndest to bring you an exclusive interview with the band, but in the meantime, here’s a peek of their B-side track ‘Feelin’ Dank’.

RATING: 5/5
SOUNDS LIKE: JOY ON TOAST, NYC Summer, a 70s film sountrack
‘Friend Crush’ is available to download now and is available at Rough Trade.