BETWEEN FRIENDS have found alt-pop's sweet spot

It’s always a risk, music history tells us, to start a family band. Many times, it works out better on TV than it does after weeks together on a tour bus. Nonetheless, those who have championed the blood-bandmate connection have brought us some of the strongest, most thoughtful projects, not to mention onstage synergy. One of these success stories is LA-based BETWEEN FRIENDS, a dreamy alt-pop project fronted by Savannah and Brandon Hudson, who have navigated, and balanced, their burgeoning stardom and siblinghood with dexterity, nestling in the sweet spot in between. 

With “between” being the major theme for the Hudsons, their musical accomplishments — such as the 2018 hit song “affection” racking up a swift and easy 155 million streams, and their millions of monthly listeners — aren’t their only ones. Outside of the band, which they work on from their home of Los Angeles, they’ve become darlings of the New York fashion scene, walking shows during NYFW and modeling for brands like adidas and Heaven by Marc Jacobs. 

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However, if any questions were lingering about where their attention and devotion lie, their latest project makes it clear: These two are pop stars, and they’re out to push the genre far past its comfort zone, in every way. The project I Love My Girl, She’s My Boy shows a deeper side of Savannah and Brandon, who reflect across 14 tracks on their love lives, from heartbreak to butterflies. With its raw, almost rough honesty, cushioned by sticky synth and cheeky hooks, from top to bottom, the album is evidence that the Hudsons are perfecting the alt-pop recipe. AltPress sat down with Savannah and Brandon to dig a little deeper.

You’ve been self-described as laptop dream-pop. Can you explain this genre to me and the origins of it for your work?

When we first started making music as BETWEEN FRIENDS around 2018-ish, we knew we were making pop music, but at the time, pop music all sounded a certain way. We didn’t know how to make our songs sound exactly like what the radio was playing, but we knew it felt similar in cadence. We just made up words to describe it for a while. I think now, with more maturity and growth as artists and more genre fluidity, it’s safe to say that we make pop records, but at the time, it felt like our own little world of a genre. 

What kind of music were you exposed to growing up that inspired, and influenced, you? 

Growing up, our parents used to play everything from Fleetwood Mac to Daft Punk. They aren’t necessarily musical, but they are so passionate about sound and good songs. Our dad always had vintage floor speakers and cared too much about what his system sounded like in his car. We grew up listening to everything from classic rock to techno. I think you can hear that in our creations. We never really box into anything specifically. BETWEEN FRIENDS is our sonic playground, and we want to do whatever we feel in the moment. 

Do you remember the first CD you ever purchased or concert attended — what was the first autonomous move you made in any musical direction? Who did you idolize?

We got a Beatles box set for our birthdays one year when we were super young. I think those were our first CDs. Savannah played JoJo and No Doubt to death. I would just burn CDs with songs I’d illegally download on the internet and listen to those till I got sick of them and then pass them on to Sav.

What was the moment you decided to make music together? How did that happen?

When we were kids, we both loved sound so much but in different ways. Savannah was super outgoing and would always put on shows for whoever was over at our parents’ house at the time. I was more quiet and would write songs in my room on my guitar. One day, I got super jealous of her getting all the attention and stormed off to my room. Savannah came in later, and we talked it out. I told her I'd show her how to write songs if she showed me how to perform them, and we shook on it. Been doing it together ever since.

Could you run us through the narrative of I Love My Girl, She’s My Boy? Are there any moments in the album that specifically feel authentic or intimate to your life? What kind of experiences inspire authenticity in your music? 

I Love My Girl, She’s My Boy is really our first time opening up and being super honest. It's 14 different relationship scenarios and things that we’ve separately and collectively experienced over the past several years. It was a major turning point for us, writing from personal experience. We would usually always write as an escape and create scenarios. It feels a bit scary speaking super personal realizations into songs, but once we started, we couldn’t stop, and we immediately knew this would be our first record. 

Being this is your debut album, how do you think you’ve grown since starting this project? How are you continuing to push yourself and your sound to grow? What are you most excited about?

We both feel like we’ve grown immensely. As writers and producers of our work, we really challenged every idea, every melody, and every sound a million plus times. We tried everything 10 different ways, and this is our end result that we both love to death. I think that challenging ourselves is our favorite thing to do with our music. How can we evolve and grow if we keep doing the same thing? Our goal as artists is to keep pushing with the end goal of always finding new voices in ourselves.

What would you say is the core ethos of your music today?

I don't think we would exist if we weren’t making noise. Music is everything to us. We just hope people find something inside of it and that it internally connects with anyone putting it on. The fact that people listen in the first place is the coolest thing in the world. We just want to keep going and contribute to your playlists.