Exclusive Interview with BETWEEN FRIENDS.
Manny: Hello and welcome to this very special interview. I am joined by the amazing duo BETWEEN FRIENDS. How are you guys today?
BETWEEN FRIENDS: Oh, we're so good. We're so happy to talk to you.
Manny: Before we get started, I think the main thing we need to talk about is obviously being a brother-sister duo is so commendable in music. I feel like there's not many at all. You've been working together since you were 11, how has that been for you guys? How has that journey been?
BETWEEN FRIENDS: I think, you know, for us, it's normal. There's been no other sort of path. There's been no other way, and it's been it's been so incredible. I think the only times I notice that this is something that's different is when I, you know, we have a lot of other artist friends and especially the female friends that I have that are artists, and they're like, oh, it sucks, like going through this alone and going on tour alone and all these things. I'm like, I never feel that way because we have each other through every experience. And I think it makes it just a little bit more sweet.
Manny: That's such a nice way to put it. And that is that is so true. Like having that kind of support for somebody that's not just a friend but a sibling, which is a totally different kind of experience that is that is very cool and it's such a sweet way to put it. I don't know if you might have been asked this before, but I feel like me having two older siblings, I feel like to watch them grow as a person is really a nice journey, let alone growing as kind of artists together. So if you could think of maybe an accomplishment that your sibling did that made you feel the proudest, and it doesn't even have to be an accolade just in general. Is there something that kind of springs to mind where you were like, yes, that is my sister! That is my brother!
BETWEEN FRIENDS: It's so crazy. I mean, it's kind of like that every day. We just played a show yesterday, and there's always these moments of mentally acknowledging each other. I feel like even when we're in the studio working, it's like, oh, you're amazing. This is like, every time you sing on this, it's incredible. Or these parts that you're writing are incredible, but that's all work-related. I feel like that's the wildest thing about the dynamic is, you know, it's really kind of we're paired up with everything, you know, so we've been watching each other kind of grow into the people that we've always wanted each other to be over the past several years. And I feel like the moments are continuous and they happen every day.
Manny: I just wanted to get onto ‘affection’, which was the song that kind of had such a big impact on your career over lockdown. What was kind of the response like when that song took off like it did?
BETWEEN FRIENDS: You know, we didn't even know. Like, we made that song. We were obviously all in lockdown. We were making so much music. Like, we always joke because we, like, blacked out for the mixtape. When we made that, we just were making. It was like a way of expressing ourselves. When we made affection and put that out, it was a similar thing. We were just like, we're just going to put this out, and then I feel like when it started catching, we were like, we didn't really understand. I think we were like very confused.
There's nothing we could do about it as well. Usually when a person's song blows up online or something, you know, your team starts planning tours and you start planning appearances and doing this and doing that. And you know, there was like, actually nothing we could do. So yeah, we kind of just watched it do its thing. It was a cool period too because we had nothing to do and nowhere to go, really. We were able to connect with fans on the internet, we would just chat to them and be like, hey! And I think that built such a strong foundation for us because then when we did go on tour this past year and when we do things like we can put these usernames to faces and we can be like, we've been talking for years and this is so cool. And it's like a very it's like a full circle moment. It's it's very cool. You know, it's like when you look back at it, it's like, whoa. Hey, we got to this position because of this one song, you know, and we wanted to do that again, like, ASAP.
Manny: Of course during lockdown you were able to work with Max Martin, you know, such an incredible producer. Sometimes it's kind of hard to keep that bedroom pop style when you're working with, you know, these calibre people but I feel like you guys nailed that. It still very much feels like BETWEEN FRIENDS since the beginning, all the way up until your now projects. How did you manage to maintain that sound going forward?
BETWEEN FRIENDS: You know, I think no matter what we do, our number one intention is always just keeping true to who we are and why we do it. And I think in any circumstance, if you put us in any room with any person, we have this sort of like ‘spit shake’ that we leave. We leave it at the door and we go in remembering that we started it in our parent’s garage. At the end of the day, that's never going to change. It's just going to continue to evolve and take new shapes and forms. But like, by no means do we ever intend on like making music that doesn't have any sort of cadence to like how we sound I think it's actually it's like a fun thing, you know, when you get other people in the room that are amazing, that aren't ever really trying to change your sound.
Manny: Yeah for sure. And I'm so glad that you guys have had that kind of experience where it's more so we can we can evolve this and still keep your core values, and I feel like you've definitely been able to do that ever since that project. You know, the debut album coming out, the brand new EP coming out, it's still you. Even if the name wasn't attached to it, but you heard it playing somewhere, I think you could be like, yes, that is BETWEEN FRIENDS. That is the kind of thing that a lot of people might struggle with, you know, having that kind of identity, and I feel like you guys have really been able to do that throughout all your music. Even when a lot of it does sound different, it's still got those core BETWEEN FRIENDS values, and I really appreciate that.
BETWEEN FRIENDS: Well, that's a that's a big compliment and I appreciate that. Sav I know you do too, because we think about that heavily.
Manny: In terms of in terms of personal listening, I feel like a lot of your music, it makes me feel really free. You know, I'm 22 years old, in your twenties, you're thinking about so much, you're overthinking about job and work and what the rest of your life needs to be like. But when I'm listening to BETWEEN FRIENDS’ projects and music, I feel like nothing else matters except me and the music at that time. And that is so crazy to get just from putting on a song, you know, pressing play and kind of feel in a totally different world thanks to your music. Is that something you felt with the new EP, the debut album or like throughout your career, you kind of felt when you were making it?
BETWEEN FRIENDS: Thank you for that! The crazy thing is, when you say stuff like that, that's like the reason why we do it, you know? Like, because we feel that way when we make music, we feel like there's nothing else in the world we'd rather be doing. And like we love every aspect of it. So to hear that someone who's listening feels that way just by kind of pressing play and like, you know, putting your headphones on or whatever, taking a drive, like that's our goal. And it's also what we want the music to do as well, literally why we make projects and why we make albums is to hopefully take our listeners somewhere, take them on a journey, so that means a lot.
And I also want to add that I feel like there's this sort of different image of like a musician or a pop star or like a band that, you know, people sometimes think that things are created out of perfection, and all we want to do is like tell someone to mess it up. You know, we're like, let's fuck it up and see how it sounds like we don't want people to feel perfection in our stuff. We want people to feel like you can mess it up and it's still going to be fine, or you can mess it up and it's probably going to be better. Like that's our core. And I think even from the beginning, even though we were in our late teens, we had that intention going into it, so I'm really glad that you feel that.
Manny: It definitely has felt like, yeah, it doesn't matter if you're making these mistakes, like you can move forward. There's so much in life, you've got so much time. That's the type of kind of feeling I get whenever I listen. I was listening today before this interview to get into the zone for this chat, and again, it just felt that way. It just felt like everything is okay right now. Just you do you.
Manny: I want to talk about obviously this new EP ‘garage sale’, what was the approach now to this EP post-album release?
BETWEEN FRIENDS: We put the album out and then three months later we went on tour. And it was our first ever headline sold out. We were gone for almost two months and on that tour, we saw that even though our album had just come out, like kids were coming and they knew every word and we saw the energy based on every song and that inspired us so much. I mean, we were touring in a van for two months. Like we were, it was like rough in it, but it was so fun. And we were so, you know, inspired and we felt like we had all these voice notes and little bits that we still had left from that album and we just wanted to get it out.
There were things that we had written that you know, when you're making an album and the whole album is like 85% done, sometimes adding in new things that are like brand new to the whole process takes a long time and can delay, you know, the release. And so we had all these like ideas that were in really early stages and things that we started writing on tour. We just got home and we felt passionate about completing some of these songs because we actually thought they were really cool.
Manny: I love that. And do you know what? It reminds me of something on an earlier record, which was ‘make more friends’. Was it a little interview? I adored that. I think that was really cool to kind of just do a little part where you're talking on an interlude about personal experiences.
And again, that's so I think that's what I get from you guys, that you can't really get from other artists. It feels so personal. It feels like a diary entry kind of vibe. So is that something that you've carried through your music where it's like, we want to add that extra layer where it's away from the music and it's just us?
BETWEEN FRIENDS: Yeah, I think we wanted to. We've always been really interested in breaking the fourth wall, making things feel as personal as they can be, and yeah, doing that stuff is really fun.
Manny: I mean, this is crazy being able to have an opportunity to tour with Conan Gray. I mean, what is running through your head knowing that it’s not far away now?
BETWEEN FRIENDS: Well, we, we've always loved Conan, he's become a friend of ours and you know, to be able to tour Europe with him, like just by itself is such a blessing because we barely touched our toes end of last year, we did two shows in London and those were our first ever BETWEEN FRIENDS shows not in the US or Canada. So to have this opportunity to not only play with Conan, who's so talented but also to be playing venues that we've always dreamt of playing.
Manny: 100%. You guys are made for this. You're going to absolutely smash it. I mean, playing London, Manchester is also a lovely city, so you guys will absolutely love it there.
I ask this at the end of every single one of my interviews, I want to know both your individual coffee orders. Hit me! I'm so intrigued.
Sav: Oh my god, well I've been like, changing it up with the matcha game, which I'm sure a lot of other people have been. I've learned how to make it myself. I have like a traditional Japanese matcha set that I have like the bamboo whisk and the traditional little scooper and all the things.
So I've been really enjoying that. And I always add a little bit of Madagascar vanilla, but when we're at a shop, I would say just an iced matcha or a vanilla oat latte, I’m basic!
Brandon: Recently, I've been getting into just like a cup of black coffee hot like when we were in Sweden. We were working in Sweden and our best friend Doris just knew how to make the best cup of coffee, she just knows, in fact, I want it right now, I do! I was going to text her and see if she could tell me how to make it!
Manny: Mine is a vanilla oat latte as well, so I think we're on the same page there but I'm trying to get on the matcha as well I feel like that is definitely rising lately.
Well thank you guys so much for joining me today, it has been an absolute pleasure to talk to you!
BETWEEN FRIENDS: Thank you! It was so nice to talk to you, you are such an amazing person and we can’t wait to see you in Birmingham when we come visit!