It’s been well over a year since Justin Bieber’s last single release.
Still, it certainly doesn’t feel nearly that long, with Biebs lending his pipes to chart-dominating singles like ‘I’m The One’ and the inescapable ‘Despacito.’ That, on top of his relentless Purpose touring schedule before it was cancelled for personal reasons, have ensured that Bieber remains at the front of pop consciousness despite having no material of his own since the last Purpose single, ‘Company.’
Today, Bieber returns from his semi-hiatus with ‘Friends’ – a single produced by BloodPop, the same brains behind ‘Sorry.’ Moreover, the song was co-written by Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter, who also worked on ‘Sorry’ – and so the comparisons almost seem inevitable. ‘Friends’ takes more of Bieber’s personal reflections and pleading questions – ‘Can we still be friends? – and places them over humming electro-pop production.
It’s certainly nothing new, but it’s got enough sing-a-long potential to continue Bieber’s streak of slick singles. Listen to ‘Friends’ below, and while it seems like he’s sticking to the Purpose formula, who knows when he’ll deliver another wildcard:
