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"It is said on a full moon, the mulletcabra will strike its victims. If it cannot find human blood, it will strike roosters and chickens."

No Friends have outdone themselves once again with their latest official release, Guilty by Association. After getting experimental with voice overlays and overdosing on Moby on This Is Your Life, the NF crew gets back to the meat and potatoes formula that have made them one of the only beacons of light in a flailing industry. That formula: take some of the best waves on the planet, throw in a crew of elite bodyboarders, add a kick-ass soundtrack, and let Stoker and FCP do the rest. The result is probably the most amping bb-ing vid of all time

The buildup to the video’s first ridden wave is intense. Trademark NF grainy lifestyle footage is set to a moody instrumental track that creates an eery feeling that something big is about to go down. When the seagull-laced Chopes wave explodes onto the reef, the tension becomes almost unbearable. Will someone please bust??? Then the guitars hit, Hubb launches his big 720, and we can all finally relax and enjoy the movie.

The intro section is disgusting. Standout waves include Andre fearlessly charging Chopes, Kingy’s wide-open Backdoor pit, and Skipp’s drawn out floating ARS at smallish Pipe. The Juliana Theory tune is amping and has a ton of the little slow-downs, pauses, and guitar explosions that give most video editors wood.

All of the NF guys have sick sections. Roach represents with a DRI-and-Chopes-filled segment that proves once again that he is the best man to ever hop up on one knee. Ross’ section shows him busting huge open faced reverse airs in Cali and somehow managing to snag a ton of waves from the crowds at Pipe. Injury prone Lanson nearly meets his maker but somehow still has the courage to pull into some mammoth Tahitian beasts.

Skipp’s section is one of his best yet. His air reverses are the smoothest in the business and every wave he drops into oozes with style. Hubb manages to have two equally sick sections for which I suggest you leave your finger on the rewind button. The guy busts so many tweaked reverse/backflip variations that you will get confused trying to keep track of them all. His Australian section shows just how far ahead of the pack he is, launching huge backflips on 2-3 foot waves.

The biggest change in this video from the rest of the NF collection is the overwhelming Aussie presence. The Virtue/Hardy section is a good place to view the state of modern prone riding with Hardy’s emphasis on style and Virtue’s sci-fi aerial attack. Other Aussies like Kingy and Simon Thornton also get their own sections, the latter of which is a 3-minute barrel-fest without a single trick seriously attempted. The Weezer section is filled with even more Aussies. Young Mitch Rawlins is the standout with his gigantic air spins proving that he is bodyboarding’s biggest hope for the future.

Stoker’s editing talent is obvious throughout the video. The graphics and titles have improved with every NF release and this video is no exception. You can tell Stoker loves making Roach sections and intros because that is where his editing is usually the best. The intro section to this vid is definitely the best of the NF collection and Roach’s lifestyle shots and titles are epic as well.

Musically, the soundtrack proves that even "tortured" emo weenies can rock (that is, when they aren’t meeting with their therapists or gazing at their shoes in faux melancholy). Songs by The Juliana Theory, Further Seems Forever, and Pop Unknown are all winners from the cardigan and Chuck Taylor set. Emo definitely represents, but I was especially amped on the White Stripes, Pixies and ATDI tracks. I was even surprised by how cool the Cranberries tune sounded on the Hubb section.

I guess I should criticize the video a bit, but it’s tough to find problems with such an epic movie. I do wish that there were more California. Other NF vids have included more footage from the Ventura crew (Reeve, Harny, and Eliason) and their local spots. I can see how Cali footage would look weak in comparison to perfect Chopes, Oz and Pipe, but I still think it should be included. Variety is the spice of life, and no one surfs perfect waves all the time. On the other hand, I doubt kids from places other than Central California give a crap about our junky surf. Still, I’m a selfish bastard and would like to see more waves and riders from my home state.

Finally (and I’m really scraping the bottom of the barrel for criticism here), the credits section rambles on for a bit too long and seems kind of pointless. Except for Roach’s hilariously deadpan "mulletcabra(?)" rant, the credits seem pretty drawn out and aimless without really offering up any good laughs or interesting lifestyle. I think the video would have been better with a more concise ending. But come on, who really even cares about the damn credits? I really had to search hard for any criticism of Guilty of Association at all.

So anyway, if you haven’t already, you should definitely buy this vid, preferably the DVD. The DVD version is cool because it includes the intros to NF1-3, Forgiven, Tahiti Skins, and the BZ One video. Also included are mini-interviews and slide shows of the NF riders in action as well as comments by Stoker. All very interesting stuff. A great deal on arguably the best bodyboarding vid ever made. Check it out.