Sibling relationships are unique and precious, and can often be a source of great strength and comfort. And while many of us can relate to this to some degree, the sister-brother duo, BETWEEN FRIENDS, takes this bond to a whole other level. Every song they produce and every creative project they embark on depends on their relationship to one another. 

“I think when someone is the most comfortable that is when they can create the purest art possible,” Savannah Hudson, shares with V. “I think that we are so comfortable with each other and we just meld together so well. When we’re in a room together, there’s no pressure and it’s just like, ‘Tell me what you’re thinking and I’ll tell you what I’m thinking.’ It just feels really natural. A statement which her brother, Brandon Hudson, added, “It’s very Yin Yang energy for sure.”

This unrivaled partnership materializes itself in their latest single, “More,” which was released yesterday via 10K Projects. With references to their childhood and neighborhood, the track is about suburban love (there’s late-night adventures, butterflies and all the teenage angst that comes with it). And Savannah shares with V the unique, but very BETWEEN FRIENDS way, it all came together. 

“This song was fun to make specifically because we had both come to each other with this idea. It was the same idea. Like we’re so connected like that,” she laughs.

“More” sets the stage for their upcoming EP, Cutie, which features equally eclectic beats. Cutie functions as a television show of sorts, Brandon tells us. “You get a new episode every time a song comes out,” he elaborates. “More” is episode one and if it’s any indication of what’s to come, we’re in for a wild ride. Saturated with high school nostalgia, BETWEEN FRIENDS brings us through the neighborhood, riding on the back of pickup trucks, hanging out in abandoned warehouses and playing with Hot Wheels. Inspired by ‘90s alt-R&B to ’50s elevator music, the upcoming project is irresistibly catchy. In between the candid voice memos and personal lyrics, you’ll find yourself compelled to stream it with the windows down with a bunch of friends–which is exactly what the duo intended for. 

“We always imagine people driving in the car with their friends,” Brandon says. “That’s always been our biggest inspiration point when it comes to making our sound.” 

And with this new single and project, the pair could not be more excited to hit the road and perform in front of their fanbase. This summer, you can catch BETWEEN FRIENDS performing their first-ever live performance at Gov Ball in New York City. 

“We have played many shows in the past as different projects but we’ve never officially played our first BETWEEN FRIENDS show,” Savannah says. “This opens so many different doors of ideas in our heads. Like, ‘Okay, we’ve been this internet presence with BETWEEN FRIENDS for a couple of years now. […] How do we bring our bedroom and our backyard to the stage and from the internet to real life?” 

For more of our interview with BETWEEN FRIENDS, read below. 

V MAGAZINE: Congrats on More! What are some themes you guys wanted to explore in this single?

SAVANNAH HUDSON: This song was fun to make specifically because we had both come to each other with this idea. It was the same idea. Like we’re so connected like that [laughs]. I had come to him, he had come to me and we were like, ‘Let’s just not think about that, but try and make something in the veins of that just sonically.’ Then the words and the story came to life and it felt really comfortable for us. So we’re really excited that this is the first one that’s kind of coming out because it was the beginning of this whole cycle of music. It inspired us to just move forward.

BRANDON HUDSON: I feel like we’ve been creating really character-based recently with all the material that we’ve been making for our next project, Cutie. Each song feels like Sav and I are different people, we’re able to tap into different characters. I think that’s a really fun exercise for us because we’re so used to being those kids in our studio room making whatever we felt like and now we’re sort of making stuff based on new ideas and characters and concepts in our heads. 

V: How does the songwriting process work between you guys? Do you guys pull from collective memories or individual ones? 

SH: It’s fun because it’s different every single time. We don’t have a play-by-play of our process. That’s the most exciting thing. We get into the studio and we don’t know what to expect. We’re just going with it. Sometimes he’ll make a beat and it’ll be really cool and we’ll write on top of that. Or I’ll write something on my piano and come to him. We’ll have lyrics that we’ve written from experiencing something and we’ll write it down on our phones and be like, ‘Hey I think this idea is really cool.’ So I think that it’s nice because it keeps us on our toes. It feels new every single time.

V: What’s the meaning behind titling it More? 

BH: I don’t even think we thought about it, to be honest. 

SH: We just kept saying ‘More’ in the chorus and was like, ‘This has got to be it.’

BH: We’d be dumb if we called it anything else.

V: And how does this single set the stage for your upcoming project, Cutie? 

BH: I think it’s a really fun way to start off this run. All of the videos are based on Cutie being its own television show so you get a new episode every time a song comes out.

SH: ​​We had so much freedom when creating Cutie and we just made what felt good and what felt right at the time. When we meshed them all together it was like, ‘Okay, this feels cohesive, but it feels fresh.” We’re just really excited. It’s been very close to our hearts and it’s been sitting on our shoulders for so long, just because we’re so excited about it. We’re so ready for you guys to hear it and live with it and feel it.

V: What’s changed since your very successful 2018 album, we just need some time together?

BH: I was just thinking about that today. Even from where we were in June, when we put out our mixtape. Our lives have become very different. We’re really grateful and excited, but it takes a lot of adapting. Like, we’re moved out of the house now, we have our own studio space. Sav and I are creating and working everyday making stuff.  We can’t function unless we’re making things whether it’s clothes or painting our mirror or anything. That’s just what we do. So, having this new place that we’re in now, as people having grown up a bit more. Our tastes have solidified a lot more. I feel like we’re a lot more carefree when it comes to making music. Let’s create it and trust ourselves more. I feel like growing up and changing and evolving has always been our biggest inspiration towards everything. 

SH: We let it in with open arms. 

BH: Yeah, and I think with Between Friends, it’s fun that you can hear us get better and watch our process as we continue to grow. Whereas a lot of times, kids making pop music, you just get this thing and it’s really great and it just stays being great. And with us, we’re putting stuff out from our studio at home. So you’re going to hear us get better, hear us evolve, and watch our tastes change and watch our ideas solidify. I think that’s really the fun of it. It’s like an experience that we can have together.

V: Also, read that you guys are going to Gov Ball! What are you looking forward to? 

BH: We’ve always wanted to go. This is crazy that our first time we get to play too, which ig going to be really fun.

V: And how are you guys preparing for it? 

SH: We have played many shows in the past as different projects but we’ve never officially played our first BETWEEN FRIENDS show. This opens so many different doors of ideas in our heads. Like, ‘Okay, we’ve been this internet presence with BETWEEN FRIENDS for a couple years now. We’ve been so visual with things. We’ve created things in our bedrooms. We’ve created things in our backyards. How do we bring our bedroom and our backyard to the stage and from the internet to real life? How can we make it feel like who we are.’ So we’ve had so much fun putting together ideas, like more fun than I would have ever imagined. Because in our art and music, we don’t put boxes around it. So we’re like, ‘Okay, what’s possible here? What can we do and how can you make it happen in our own way?’ We’ve just been on that in the past couple of weeks ever since it was announced. 

BH: It’s been a lot of mental preparation. We’re going to start rehearsals in April. 

SH: We’re very excited to bring it from our brains to real life. 

BH: Definitely. I feel like the main focus is we don’t want to ever confuse people with something that they know so well on their phones and online and then live it doesn’t translate as that same thing. So our main focus is figuring out how we’re going to create that live. But I think I might need to get my wisdom teeth out. My back left wisdom tooth today is like breaking through the gum and was hurting so bad. I was like this is a new feeling.

V: We’re very excited to see the whole process come together. With that, what do you think it is about your sibling dynamic that makes your songs resonate with so many?  

SH: I think when someone is the most comfortable that is when they can create the purest art possible. I think that we are so comfortable with each other and we just meld together so well. When we’re in a room together, there’s no pressure and it’s just like, ‘Tell me what you’re thinking and I’ll tell you what I’m thinking.’ It just feels really natural. 

BH: It’s a very Yin Yang energy for sure.

SH: I think that not many people get to experience that in their life and if they’re lucky enough to they should hold on to it and grow it. I think from a very young age, we realized that and we’ve been growing it. It’s just very special. I don’t know how I would do it without him. 

BH: Same. 

SH: I think we do that that Yin Yang thing for each other. It’s very cool.

V: And last question for you guys, what do you guys hope your new music does for people?

BH: We just want people to live with this and enjoy it. I feel like when we’re listening to it, we always imagine people driving in the car with their friends. That’s always been our biggest inspiration point when it comes to making our sound. I feel like we’re always thinking about that. We’re like, ‘If people get in the car with their friends and they get the aux cord and they play this, how will people feel?’ Will it make them excited? Will they have fun? 

SH: We’ve had it so close to us and I’m excited to see how it’s interpreted by others and what others feel when they listen to it because it’s just been in our heads and in the studio. I think it’s a very exciting thing to imagine people that like our music listening to this thing that we’re very excited and proud. We’re so ready.