When Wordburglar brings up “Your Friend’s Brother” there’s a good chance that you know exactly who he is talking about. The song might even be further evidence that the universe is nothing more than a poorly scripted simulation filled with cookie-cutter NPCs and recurring tropes. At least Wordburglar’s description of this character is charmingly familiar, even if it does sound like they were pulled directly from the packaging of a Garbage Pail Kid and given a decade or so to grow sweet retail.
If Your Friend’s Brother sounds a little familiar, the song should be doubly so. It’s not a new one. The track has been a regular feature or Wordburglar’s performances since as far back as 2012, and found a spot on his third album, 3rdburglar.
“Over the years it’s become a staple at my live shows,” says WB. “I always wanted to do a video for it, and I’m glad I finally got the chance. Our director Rod Hafezi did an incredible job following me around ZED 80 (the arcade the video was filmed at) and the beat is by my good pal Timbuktu, an incredible artist.”
The character described in the song is such a universal constant you can practically still smell the acrylonitrile butadiene styrene from their collection of mint-condition transforms mixed with the musk of their shag-carpeted basement.
“It’s the perfect, mysterious soundtrack to this strange tale of that kid you used to know but maybe forgot about. Being able to shoot at ZED 80 was awesome – as it’s the kind of place I’d expect to bump into your friend’s brother today,” laughs Wordburglar.
“I think a lot of us knew that older kid when we were growing up. Maybe you didn’t know them well – but they were always around. Until they weren’t. They were good at video games you’d never played, knew movies you’d never seen and had toys you didn’t know existed. Were they friend or foe? Saint or criminal? How’d they get enough Popsicle Pete points to get a free skateboard? I mean, that takes A LOT of popsicle sticks!
“You never knew if they were gonna kick your ass, steal your chips or show you something cool – but whatever it was, you’d remember. And I guess I figured they deserved their own song.
“I hope it speaks to you, and maybe sparks a memory or two. And if you ever find out what happened to your friend’s brother, let me know eh?”
With Wordburglar being as clever as always, and his habitually seamless delivery, the polish on this track is what makes it. There’s no question that he could casually break this out in the middle of an arcade, toss his initial in the high score, and probably make off with your BMX.
So the question we’re left with is: who is his brother?