Leo wrote the songs. He was the quiet one, the one who never talked about his feelings unless they were buried in a chorus. Sam kept the beat—steady, loyal, the glue. Ollie played bass and made everyone laugh, even when things were falling apart. And Finn? Finn sang like he meant every word, even the ones Leo was too scared to say out loud.

Four best friends spend one summer recording an album in a cramped garage, only to realize the songs aren’t just about growing up—they’re about saving each other. The Story:

They burned CDs on Finn’s laptop and handed them out at Emma’s diner. Thirty people showed up to their “release show” in the garage—friends, siblings, a few parents. The fairy lights stayed on for the whole set.

They recorded in stolen hours—after shifts at the grocery store, before dawn, in the sticky heat of July. They fought over guitar tones, over lyrics, over whose fault it was that the kick drum mic kept buzzing. Once, Sam threw a drumstick through the garage window. Ollie laughed so hard he cried. Leo rewrote a bridge for the sixth time and swore he’d delete the whole thing.