Ones2Watch Home

Friends to lovers. Friends to enemies. The thorny shifting relationship tropes of your favorite pieces of fiction come to life in Landon Barker’s infectious debut single “Friends With My Ex.”

It would be an understatement to say that Barker’s debut effort comes without its fair share of expectations. The public spotlight has been trained on the young star from birth—as the son of Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, it was only a matter of time until he took center stage himself—and that focus has grown only more intense in the recent year, following his relationship with social media star Charli D’Amelio. With the world’s eyes focused on the budding star’s every move, “Friends With My Ex” is a glimpse into Landon Barker’s personal relationships and a testament to his undeniable promise.  

Opening on the crux of the matter, Landon Barker wastes no time in revealing what’s weighing on his heart, calmly singing, “I was with friends with your ex / You were with him when he met / But I know he’s going to kill me when he sees me with you.” It’s a conflicted love story that paints Landon as both the villain and hopeful romantic, torn between a past friendship and feelings he could never hope to shake. The underlying emotional gut punch, carried by dynamic guitar riffs and unapologetic lyrics, has all the makings of a young adult Netflix hit and radio-ready anthem, partially thanks to production and drums from DTA Records founder and Landon’s dad Travis Barker. 

As the just over two-minute pop-punk track races towards its inevitable conclusion, it leaves in its wake an absolute earworm of track. Thankfully, that’s not all, as the single arrives alongside a music video, directed by Chris Villa. The video sees Landon starring alongside his superstar girlfriend Charli as the initial sparks of love fly, culminating somewhere between the emotional climax of The Perks of Beings a Wallflower and the fallout of a house party brawl. 

“Friends With My Ex,” the first of a series of singles to be released via DTA Records, feels like the crystallization of the quiet excitement that has been bubbling around Landon Barker for some time now. From featuring on Machine Gun Kelly’s “die in california” to selling out the infamous The Roxy on the Sunset Strip without officially releasing any music to finally releasing his debut single, the dream of the kid who played air guitar at his dad’s gigs is coming true before our very eyes. 

Watch the “Friends With My Ex” video below: