When LA-based siblings Savannah and Brandon Hudson teamed up under the moniker BETWEEN FRIENDS, their kinetic relationship with one another—and their full creative control over their art—drove the pair to create music at an almost frenetic pace. Their latest drop, a 5-track mixtape titled tape 003, is the third in a series of three mixtapes culminating in a full project to release later this summer. The tape’s lead single, “lonely” blends translucent vocals, absorbing bass lines, and idyllic sonic nuances—placing BETWEEN FRIENDS in what might be their most vulnerable position yet.
“We realized what nostalgia could do to you when you’re on your own. We tried our best to quickly translate that feeling into a song that felt minimal but hit us where we needed it to,” the pair explains of the track. For the music video, they wanted to accentuate both isolation and the comfort that can be found in it, so they linked up with friend and creator Kevin Clark to navigate telling the story of two people existing entirely in their own worlds.
While their prior release, tape 002, expresses longing for a house party—you know, the pre-lockdown ones when the night is fading into the morning, the DJ is still going strong, and you have work the next morning, but still pile into a cab with your friends in pursuit of the next destination—tape 003 is dedicated to isolation and finding sanctuary within reflection.
“On these 5 songs we look back on unsettled feelings and relationships, finding solitude in the release of letting these stories go,” BETWEEN FRIENDS say. “Sonically our goal was to blend synthetic elements that felt like metaphorical masks towards past experiences with the rawest most vulnerable sounds that have come from us in our room.”
Check out tape 003 below, and read on for BETWEEN FRIENDS’ take on the Youth Questionnaire.
Question 03: Where are you most free?
In our home studio. We can be whoever we want at all times. There are no rules or boundaries. It almost feels like a limitless landscape or a blank canvas every time.
Question 04: When were you recently perfectly content?
When we finished our mixtape in lockdown. The feeling after completing a large body of work is indescribably relaxing. It was like a therapy session creating it everyday and when we finally turned it in there was a full week of zen.
Question 07: Describe something that inspired change in your perspective.
Appreciating and realizing every and any moment. We often overlook the little things. We are making an effort to realize and enjoy every bit of our days.
Question 10: Describe your relationship with your ego.
Constantly evolving. It’s difficult to grasp ego but for us, we just want to be ourselves all the time.
Question 11: What is your favorite flower or tree, and why?
Hydrangeas, been latching to them recently. They keep appearing in front of us or are around us wherever we go. They’re such relaxed flowers and have so many layers and sections.
To you, what is the most soothing sound?
Anything but silence. We are so sonically charged, music always on, sound machines when we sleep. The quiet can be a mood killer.
Question 12: What is your most useful affirmation?
Do it yourself. Trust your ideas and act upon them. We struggled for so long having dreams and ideas and not knowing who or what could help us bring them to life. Our whole world shifted as soon as we took the responsibility upon ourselves to just try.
Question 14: If you could encourage others to support something you believe to be universally beneficial, what would it be?
Music + sound. Noise is like this common language, we can all connect on so many levels with it no matter where you are or what you speak. There are feelings in chord progressions and vibrations within songs that can do so much to wherever is listening.
Question 15: What is your personal goal for this year, month, or day?
To connect and make more friends.
Question 17: What colors your view of the world?
Kindness.
Question 18: Which is richer: your inner life or outer? Why?
Inner-self—we’ve been together so long we just know each other. There is no better feeling than being comfortable in our heads. We prioritize keeping ourselves in check.
Question 19: If your energy were visible to others, what would it look like?
Hopefully like opals.
Question 20: What does it mean to you to dream beyond?
To have no limits.
Images courtesy of Lauren Leekley and Elizabeth Miranda
