Brand New Friend
Brand New Friend is a song by British band Lloyd Cole and the Commotions. It was released on 6 September 1985 as the lead single from their second album, Easy Pieces. The track was written by Lloyd Cole and Blair Cowan and produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley. It runs 4 minutes and 51 seconds and was issued on Polydor. The song reached number 19 on the UK Singles Chart and stayed in the top 100 for nine weeks.
In a 1985 interview, Cole described Brand New Friend as about a guy who knows he isn’t as happy as he used to be, but isn’t sure what to do about it. He’s aware he’s edging into self-pity, which he finds a little ridiculous, making the song also a funny, tiny cry for help.
Critics had mixed but generally favorable reactions. Diane Cross of Record Mirror called it an uptempo, soulful track and thought it would please fans even if it wouldn’t dominate the charts. Frank Edmonds of the Bury Free Press gave it 8 out of 10, praising the striking vocal and tune. Karen Swayne of Number One noted Lloyd’s distinctive, moody vocals over a jaunty tune, with strings and backing vocals, but wished for a simpler sound. Sean O’Hagan of NME felt both the A-side and the B-side were haunted by echoes of Dylan, Reed, and Ferry, and suggested Cole was revisiting familiar territory rather than breaking new ground.
The B-side of the single is “Her Last Fling.” The release appeared in several formats, including 7-inch and 12-inch versions for different regions.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 13:03 (CET).