Laptop dream pop project, BETWEEN FRIENDS are the definition of DIY. From their music and videos to editing and photography, BETWEEN FRIENDS are in control of every aspect of their project, making it both incredibly unique and deliberate. Everything they do, from their photos and videos to their music is kept between friends, staying true to their name.
With their latest project, we just need some time together out now, we caught up with BETWEEN FRIENDS to talk about their latest music, their vision for the band and plans for the rest of 2019. Read the full interview now below.
Interview by Dom Vigil
Can you tell us a little bit about Between Friends for anyone who might not be familiar?
BETWEEN FRIENDS is our pop music alias. it’s me (brandon) my sister savannah. we make music in our home studio/with our friends/on the go. throughout our careers in music, Savannah and i always dreamt of having a second name or something interesting that would define us personally and artistically. we came up with the idea for this project after we had made a bunch of music last year. we didn’t exactly know what our plan was for it all, but we knew we wanted it to come out as soon as possible. everything we did, from the photos to the visuals to the music, it was all kept between friends and we knew right away that that was our name.
You guys are kind of the definition of DIY, as you really do everything yourself, from writing to styling, directing, editing and photography. Where does this DIY mentality stem from and what inspired it with this project?
We’ve always been extremely inspired by brands / fashion / photography / film. cohesive bits of original unfiltered content that somehow still exist in the same frame as popular culture. with that in mind we always feel like our favourite creative moments happen when we are with the people we feel most comfortable with or when we are at home having a glass of wine. our collective OCD towards this project really pushes us to continuously think outside of the box and create what we see in our heads. honestly, we are just fans! we love good music and art, that serves as an endless inspiration daily. especially now in a time where ideas flow so quickly through our phones, our goal is that you look a little bit longer before you keep scrolling.
You’ve been involved in other musical projects prior to Between Friends. Were there any lessons you learned in previous bands that have helped you to hone in on exactly what you want to do with this project?
Absolutely. we are extremely grateful for our prior experiences and to everyone involved. we’ve been doing this now since Brandon and I were like, 13 and 15 so it’s been years of figuring it out and figuring ourselves out. i think throughout our careers we were always trying to fit into a mold of being something that was “correct” by industry standards. with that being said, nothing was done traditionally when we created BETWEEN FRIENDS. prior, we had notebooks of ideas stored in drawers waiting for an opportunity, songs in Brandon’s computer that only our friends had heard. we realized that the most honest versions of ourselves lived within that content, that totally changed our perception on everything and allowed us to fully fall into what we were becoming, not waiting around for anyone, doing it on our own.
Last year, you released your debut single, “iloveyou” followed by “better friends” , “affection” and you recently released your latest single, “u can still come over.” Can you tell us a little bit about the track?
“u can still come over” started at home last summer. it was 2am and we had some friends over in the studio, savannah and i were making beats for everyone to dance to and around 3 am we had made a song. we wrote the track as a love letter to old relationships and experiences that still mean something to us even though they’re over. we definitely cherish nostalgia and thought the feeling matched well with the aesthetic of the beat. we brought it to our friend Michel Lindgren and we finished it at his place by the pool in North Hollywood. def one for your ‘late night’ playlists.
You also released a self-directed video for the track. What inspired the video?
For the video, I (sav) thought it would be super ironic if we flipped the tropical vibe of the song and placed it in the snow. so we drove up to big bear with some friends stayed up all night and shot the whole video in a blizzard. it was definitely one of the most exciting experiences i’ve had creating. we were snowed into a cabin we found on air bnb, brainstorming ideas and then shooting them.
“u can still come over” comes from your new project, we just need some time together. Can fans expect to hear some more new music from it soon?
Yes, we have this monthly release cycle going so expect new music in April.
Did you have any major goals in mind when you first started working on we just need some time together?
Honestly, we made this EP before we even had our name solidified. these were songs we were putting in folders, secretly adding to queues at house parties hoping our friends would like. we couldn’t be more grateful to everyone listening, our goal was to make something cool and we hope you think so too.
Do you have any other big plans coming up or shows in the works?
Lots of music coming, lots of videos coming. connect with us on instagram/twitter/facebook for updates @betweenfriends. lots of love xoxo www.itsbetweenfriends.com
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