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Electro-pop connoisseurs BETWEEN FRIENDS have been rolling out their sophomore record throughout the last few months, capturing the digital age in their high-energy, emotional web. Their new single “XD” turns a country pop classic into a hyperpop dream, giving fans another tease of what to expect from the WOW universe. We caught up with the iconic duo during the days leading up to their set at BST Hyde park in London to hear about their creative process, favorite Olivia Rodrigo songs, and their detailed album rollout. 

OnesToWatch: What was the creative process behind "XD"? 

BETWEEN FRIENDS: “XD” was one of those songs that kind of fell out of the sky. We were staying in London recording at Jonathon’s (Eden) house after our tour of Europe in November. It was cold, we were biking around the city, and drinking wine. Once the main sounds you hear in the song came about, we knew we had something we thought was special. We tried many different iterations until something clicked. We recorded while the sun was coming up and had a demo sent out the next day and then slept till the evening. 

What does the "XD" face mean to you and how has it evolved over time? What does it mean in the context of this song? 

It's a way of expressing yourself without needing words. XD is how we feel when we listen. It’s also the best OG emoticon and says a million things without actually saying it. We leaned towards exclamations and polysemous terms on this project. 

It’s a quarter after 1 at the party, what vibe are you on at this point in the night? Ready to call the uber home, looking for the next location, or still on the dance floor?  

Definitely still on the dance floor, definitely looking for the next location and definitely on energy level 10. 

What is it about partying that inspires you the most? 

The culture, the way music can bring people of all walks together in movement and feeling. Self expression. Losing all of yourself for a moment. Escaping life and the rat race. Shared experiences of the heart that last seconds. It's a shared language. 

The singles thus far have been about music in some capacity. What part of the creative process inspires you the most? 

WOW! as an album is a really full-circle project for us. It feels like we re-tapped into the spaces that made us want to create from the beginning. Familiar shared feelings and an overall expression of who we are now. We've always sort of written in a conceptual way. This project is less that and really about who we are today, what we feel right now, and our current experiences. Music is our connective tissue to the world and I think whenever we needed breaks this past year working, or an escape from reality, we would seek out someplace to dance and disappear in the noise and movement, hustle, and bustle. That is definitely celebrated and expressed throughout this record.

Which song from the released singles is your favorite? Did you have the same idea of which songs to release first? 

We've been trusting our instincts and following our guts with the releases. Really going for the songs we feel are calling to us most in the moment. We wanted to give a taste of the concept that this album really has at least one song on it for every type of person. There's no box really telling you where to go or how to feel, and we felt it’s important to showcase the variety in this project. In our opinion it’s best listened to from start to finish… 

How do you go about marrying nostalgic elements with your current sound, vision, and experiences? 

During the process of making WOW!, many of our friends told us that it sounded like something they’ve known, like a lost iPod filled with nostalgia, but at the same time something they haven’t heard yet. That really inspired us to make something that feels lost and found. Nostalgia is this really special tool and “feeling capsule” that we think binds listeners with familiar feelings, allowing them to connect deeper with music, whether that’s specific sounds or chords or lyrics. This mindset really came with the magic of creating. We didn’t have many references or any sort of mood board going into it. We just wanted to feel everything and try everything. 

How did you go about planning the visual language for "XD" and the album as a whole? 

At first, visually, we couldn’t quite put our finger on it… we knew what we wanted it to feel like, but we also wanted it to aesthetically say the right things. For the video we took having no budget as a challenge and made it on a knock-off Go Pro, with our friends holding the camera any chance we could get. With that, there is a very raw feeling to everything. Can’t miss a moment type vibe. Everything is super personal to us and captures the fun…that’s how we knew it was right  

Favorite Olivia Rodrigo song? 

!!! LOVE IS EMBARRASSING 

Favorite things to do in London? 

Everything is fun in London. Walking around? Bar hopping, laying in parks, going out to listen to music. MAKING MUSIC in London is the best. 

What has WOW’d you lately? 

The fact that we get to go on tour in September :) omg

What were you listening to, watching, or consuming while making WOW? 

We felt very introspective on this record. We really didn’t have much distraction with reference or inspiration. We dug into ourselves and wrote exactly what came out. Although there were quite a bit of God of War and Geisha YouTube videos on in the background on the TV, a lot of movies and trance music and iPhones.

Describe WOW! in a few words.

Album of the year