“Nobody talks about Jesus’ miracle of having 12 close friends in his 30s.”
Most viral tweets fade into our vast cultural junkheap after a day or two, but that one sticks. It really becomes true post-college, when careers, relationships and life kick into high gear. Super-friend-group Model Tenant show us that even though we may hang out less with all of our besties, the time we spend together is still priceless. The collective consists of Josh Gilligan, Thad Kopec, Liza Odachowski (Liza Anne), Zach Dyke (formerly of COIN), Allie Closner (Joseph), Robbie Jackson (Keeps) and Abby Clark (Sister Kit). They all come together to release Model Tentant’s debut single “Real Like You.”
“Real Like You” feels like walking into a low key house party where friends are playing records in the living room, pouring drinks in the kitchen and having catch-up convos in the backyard. The familiar vocalists, easy percussion and comfortable instrumentation makes us want to jump back into a group text and plan a bonfire right this moment. Josh Gilligan says the song is “us trying to come to terms with a social landscape that sees some pretty rapid turnover. The song is hoping to look for feeling and worth in relationships that often feel far away. It’s us all holding onto each other while also trying to let everyone be who they need to be individually. A moment of asking someone ‘Are you feeling what I’m feeling? Are you really real?’ Those grounding questions are really important.”
“Model Tenant is really just our group of close friends,” Gilligan continues. “We actually weren’t trying to start a band at all. All of us have separate creative endeavors and careers that take us away from home quite a bit, so everyone convening in the same place ends up being a rarity. A couple of us had written the first song a while back and, when we went to track it, it became apparent that we wanted to finish it together – each person kind of representing their own unique voice in the song. It felt pretty beautiful to have everything we needed right there in one house.”
Coming up in the fall, Model Tenant plan on releasing more songs amidst the members’ busy individual schedules. Right now, listen to “Real Like You” by Model Tenant below.
