BETWEEN FRIENDS Take Hold of the Aux Cord on 'i like when you shine!'

image

Sibling indie pop duo Savannah and Brandon Hudson, better known as BETWEEN FRIENDS, have spent the better part of 2021 releasing a series of EPs. Titled tape 001, tape 002, and tape 003, the unassuming collections culminate with i like when you shine!, a 25-song mixtape and veritable sonic playground.  

As you can likely imagine, a 25-song mixtape is certainly not easy to pin down. Throwing cohesion and tight narrative structure to the wind, i like when you shine! plays out like passing the aux cord between a close-knit group of friends whose music taste you deeply trust. It's a comparison made all the more salient with "aux," the album's opener, which serves as a symbolic passing of the aux cord from you to the duo.

BETWEEN FRIENDS spoke further on their mixtape, sharing, "This is a piece of us, something we have held very close to our hearts this year. A diary of some sorts and a sonic experiment. For ages, we have placed the mixtape format on a pedestal, from the history of frankie knuckles and dj drama all the way down to the old cassettes we'd find in our garage that belonged to our parents in the '90s. Making this was a fever dream and the most fun we've had in our studio to date. We hope that this finds its way well into your cars and your headphones. Made with luv at home by us for you."

i like when you shine! Is rife with intoxicating bouts of experimentation. From left field production detours to otherworldly pop and R&B forrays, no moment is quite like the next - the only constant throughout its 25-track run is the quality.  

i like when you shine! is everything a mixtape should be and more. Fully uninhibited by the worries and expectations of a traditional album rollout, BETWEEN FRIENDS is left to explore any passing idea to its fullest and wildest potential.

Listen to i like when you shine! below:

Related Articles

Lexa Gates Sophomore Album, I Am, Is A Quiet Claiming of Space

Lexa Gates Sophomore Album, I Am, Is A Quiet Claiming of Space

January 17, 2026 Vulnerable without being fragile and confident without being guarded, I Am feels like Gates stepping closer to herself in real time.
Author: Alessandra Rincon
r&b
pop
rap
Feng Goes "Cali Crazy" in Nostalgic, Sun-Soaked Single

Feng Goes "Cali Crazy" in Nostalgic, Sun-Soaked Single

January 16, 2026 California has a history of inspiring some of the best songs, and it looks like Feng’s “Cali Crazy” is going to be joining that list.
Author: Alessandra Rincon
pop
Solya Announces Debut Album With Release Of New Single "Tell Me It's Over"

Solya Announces Debut Album With Release Of New Single "Tell Me It's Over"

January 14, 2026 West Texas singer-songwriter phenom Solya is foreshadowing her reign, announcing the release of her debut album Queen of Texas, out March 6.
Author: Alessandra Rincon
pop