BETWEEN FRIENDS is making music for all your moods and all your best days
From the safety of their home, with a sharing of trust that has been shared since birth – this brother and sister duo of BETWEEN FRIENDS is making art for us.
A collection of music soon to be released to the world, these siblings describe their music as “music for people to feel bliss in their own hearts wherever they are.” Their work is truthful, and their music gives way for one to feel uplifted no matter how far down they’ve fallen.
BETWEEN FRIENDS is made up of Savannah and Brandon Hudson and their drummer, Brennan Benko. They all speak with such clarity in their everyday conversations but this crystal clear clarity bleeds into the ears and bloodstreams of the ones who are lucky enough to experience their lush voices.
A creative duo for over twelve years, they are ready to give themselves to the waiting world, and their music is more than ready. This DIY bedroom pop band has given every fiber of their beings to make riveting art. This collection of artists don’t just control the way their music is given to the world, they go beyond their lyrics and sounds with an enviable work ethic matched with an outstanding passion.
They’re breaking away from the label of “musicians” and attaching director, editor, and cinematographer to their wheelhouse. This music is for all walks of life, for anyone that needs to be understood in any state, and for people who just want to dance with the ones who make them feel secure.
I had the chance to sit and discuss family values, horoscopes, and the love behind their newest music video “iloveyou.”
How would you honestly describe your sound?
Our sound is a bit ever-changing. The goal is to make cool pop music, but because of our love for specific musical palettes, our own music has turned into its own DIY-pop feel. Music is changing so much and with streaming services creating their own “radio station” playlists, it’s much easier to find where you fit as well as having fewer boundaries.
Nowadays the bedroom producers are receiving the acknowledgment they deserve and that’s working in popular culture, that was super exciting for us to see because we’ve always just worked on shit at home.
We did make a term for our genre when we were out with a group of friends several months ago, we were asked what kind of music we make and due to hearing that question relatively often, we jokingly replied, “laptop-dream pop” and we kind of ran with that.
You guys are making personal music, music that everyone can enjoy so how do you want people to feel when they listen to your music?
We hope it makes people feel good. We’ve approached our music making more casually than ever, sitting at home making exactly what we like, hoping that people like it as well. Fortunately, our friends like it and that helped us realize that it was time to get these songs out of our hands.
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How does it feel to make art with family?
It’s wonderful, really, we are a good team. We’ve written and produced together for so long that we have no filter anymore. We say what we like and if we want to make changes to anything, we make them right away.
We trust each other and we know that when we team up we get the best results we can. It’s all about collaboration with this project, keeping an open mind and working with each other’s creativity.
You guys are very hands-on with your work. Do you find that to be challenging at times?
The most challenging part of it all for us is making sure that we live up to our own expectations we have for ourselves and for each other. We want the best for one another, so we all put in everything.
We also never want to avoid our adolescence, it’s been very important for us to step back and take in the late nights and house parties because we honestly find so much inspiration within all of the things that make us human, that make us kids.
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Has there been a moment recently when making the new music that you sat back and it all made sense?
Yeah, it all began to make sense when we made ‘iloveyou,’ really.
We finished it, looked at each other and realized that we had made the first song of this new chapter. it was so easy after that to experiment with different musical aesthetics, suddenly, things we had never known felt right for us.
There was an instant comfortability with the world we started creating and infinite possibilities to work with, that’s really the beauty of a blank slate.
The two of you have been making art and music together for quite some time now, how has your music evolved?
It’s grown like we have. Like a garden or something. Our tastes change, our palettes become more defined, and our inspirations grow. Colors blur and shape into mixtures. All these factors contribute to the sound and the lyrical content. Not overthinking, just trusting our instincts.
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How has each of you evolved as artists together and on an individual level?
We work with each other, we push ourselves, and we keep open minds to all possibilities. no rules anymore for us. We won’t stop evolving or learning as much as we can. Real life Charizard power.
What’s the story behind the “iloveyou” video?
We really wanted to capture the essence of our relationship as a group, showing the adventures we went on this past year and the natural love we all share for each other. We used an old VHS camera we found in our garage that belonged to our parent’s in the 90’s.
Creating most of it at our house and in our favorite spots in our neighborhood, we wanted to avoid high budget professional shit and show everyone that we are just kids making art together. Giving people a real life experience more than anything was the idea. Just us. Hopefully, it will give you the urge to find an old camera and film your friends.
Does this video fully encompass who you guys are as artists?
I don’t think we could pinpoint one thing to define us but we definitely think this gives the kids a good first understanding of who we are and how important the “do it yourself” atmosphere is to us during creating. We just want to be as real as possible and create art. Evolving constantly and indefinitely.
You guys do more than just make music in your home studio, how would you guys describe who you are as artists?
We are just kids and that how the art comes. We always think about the freedom of being super young, saying whatever came to mind, letting go of contemporary pressures. That’s how we move about that’s who we are.
What’s next for your guys?
New music monthly, new videos monthly, a constant flow from us, all between friends.
Photos by: Isaac Sterling
BTS photos by: all members of betweenfriends
