Brand new indie-pop duo, The Born Love are doing things on their own terms. Their debut EP, Strange Days, out this Friday, March 30th, is the product of patience, hard work and determination. Not only did the duo self-produce their first release, giving them complete creative control over their music, but they also didn’t put a time limit on the writing process, which meant they didn’t have to force themselves into any deadlines, writing only what felt right and tweaking it as they saw fit. The result is Strange Days, the perfect introduction to The Born Love.
We recently sat down with Kevin and Aron to discuss the band’s upcoming release, their goals for the future and more. Read all about The Born Love and listen to their single, “Tempest” below.
Interview by Dom Vigil
Can you tell us a little bit about The Born Love for anyone who might be hearing you for the first time?
Kevin [vocals, piano]: We are an Indie Pop duo from Los Angeles. Two friends making music we enjoy. Our debut EP Strange Days consists of four songs that serve as an introduction and invitation to the sonic world we’re creating.
You guys are getting ready to release your debut EP, Strange Days this month. When you first started working on these songs, did you have any major goals in mind?
Kevin: We’ve been on quite the odyssey with these songs and getting to this point. But it’s been a necessary journey of exploration. I think we both have some exciting goals in mind for what we can achieve together but aren’t placing those expectations on a handful of songs. The more meaningful goal since the beginning has been to create a foundation from which we can grow and to enjoy the process of creating together. A starting place for the music we want to make. I think we’ve done exactly that.
Aron [guitar, keys, production]: The number one goal for us has always been making something we are excited about. If we ever lost that feeling along the journey of creating this first EP, we would sit back and find out what needed to change to get the spark back. The end result is something we are both very proud of as an introduction to The Born Love world we are creating.
It being your debut EP, and some of the first music that many people will hear from you, what would you like listeners to take away from Strange Days?
Kevin: For me, my hope is that these songs resonate with people in a way that makes them want to stick around. Aron and I have always said our hope is that the music we make can help pull someone out of the ordinary, even for a brief moment, and provide a beautiful escape. That’s what music has always done for us.
Aron: These four songs really are a jumping off point for us. We spent years developing this project in the studio and it went through MANY iterations. This is the strongest foundation we could pour. As Kevin mentioned, we can only hope it takes even one person out of their day-to-day norm and entices them to come along for a ride.
What was the most challenging aspect of working on the EP?
Kevin: I’d say just being patient. We could have released any number of songs along the way just to get started and see tangible momentum. Ultimately we stayed the course and I couldn’t be more proud of these songs.
Aron: Kev and I write and produce the music from start to finish with no outside help. In my experience anytime a project is “self produced” the hardest challenge is the ability to zoom out and be macro. So often I would find myself caught up on the sound of a snare drum or some background harmony that wasn’t lined up correctly… Later I’d find out that it wasn’t the snare drum but the whole drum part that wasn’t working. There was a lot of tearing down and rebuilding of songs over the past couple of years. We had no “target release date” so we just took our time and wouldn’t stop until we thought something was right.
On the opposite end, what was the most rewarding?
Kevin: The most rewarding moments have been reading messages from fans who have taken these songs into their own lives because they feel some connection to them. The songs belong to them now and that is an extraordinary feeling.
Aron: It is just amazing to see the reception of the music. We have had no social media presence until just recently. Our first picture was just posted haha… But, fans are still finding the music and sharing it over and over again. The fact that they want to help spread the word is so cool.
You just released your new single, “Tempest” from the EP. What inspired this track?
Kevin: “Tempest” was written in the depths of a rather dark place but also mirrors my own optimism in life no matter how difficult things get. The chorus is a gentle voice calling you back to the present moment, back to a place of respite.
Kevin: We’ve been in the studio working on what’s to follow. We have a few more songs to finish that will help to create the kind of show we’d like to have.
Aron: Yes building the live experience is the next step! It is a fun challenge to make songs come to life on stage. We already have some ideas of visuals and moods we want to be there from day one.
Do you have any other big plans coming up? What does the rest of 2018 hold for The Born Love?
Kevin: We’ll be finishing up new songs in the studio, continuing to tell our story and seeing where things go from there.
Aron: Music music music! With our amazing partner AWAL we really are in the drivers seat to quickly get songs into the hands of fans. That is so rare and we plan to capitalize on it.
Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Kevin: Thank you as well! To our new and growing community of fans, we see you, we love you and we thank you for being the early adopters.
Aron: Thank you to anyone and everyone that has given our project a listen! And thank you to The Prelude Press for taking the time to cover a band that is brand-new. Your support means the world to us!
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