Between Friends - WOW! - A Tribute to Dancefloors Everywhere - Album Review

It’s hard to believe there was a time when we couldn’t dance freely in a sweaty room. As artists tried to emulate the feeling of being at a party from the confines of their bedrooms (think ‘Chromatica’ by Lady Gaga or Arca’s ‘KiCk i’), the dancefloor became more of a lost memory than a lived experience.

Thankfully, ‘WOW!’, Between Friends’ sophomore album, arrives just at a time when people are able and eager to dance again. Fittingly, its release was celebrated on dancefloors in both LA and London during exclusive listening parties held at secret locations.

LA-raised sibling pop duo, Brandon and Savannah Hudson, have come a long way since their first appearance on America’s Got Talent and are now wave-rippling in the alt-pop landscape. ‘WOW!’ is the culmination of their evolution, a genre-expanding project that cross-cuts through the broader alt-pop space, featuring longtime collaborators including Max Martin, EDEN, DJ Suzy, and Tove Burman.

With fluid lyricism and astute sampling, reminiscent of alt-pop icons such as Charli XCX and early Icona Pop, the duo explores themes of desire, obsession, body image, and, of course, heartbreak.

As it expands and builds, the album doesn’t lose sight of the duo’s pop-rock origin story. This is palpable in ‘Blow’, where drums bring us back to raw early 2000s nostalgia — Savannah’s favourite decade in music, according to a recent interview with Interview Magazine.

In the same vein, and speaking of nostalgia, ‘American Bitch’, ‘WOW!’s third track, is a  fun Y2K anthem, one that could’ve easily soundtracked Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton’s iconic series ‘The Simple Life’ (someone send it to them!).

Although Savannah takes the lead on vocals throughout, and ‘Soda’ sees the musician at her vocal peak, the moments where the project sees the siblings singing together — for instance, the harmonies in ‘XD’ — showcase the duo’s connection and effortless emotional shorthand.

‘Jackie’, a duo collaboration between Savannah and producer EDEN, and ‘1234567’, allow the album to reach its most vulnerable peak as they grapple with themes such as body image issues, bidding goodbye to a relationship, and losing your spark. “Camera brings out insecurities, driving along, got a play-by-play, night you left stole my heart away, now I lose it all at the same old place,” Savannah declares on ‘Jackie’, before asking in ‘1234567’, “Where’d it go? I've been searching for the light in my eyes. Did someone come and take it?”

Across the album, production touches such as the voice notes in both ‘1234567’ and ‘Very Nice’, which cleverly refer to the album title or nod to a crowd full of people, whilst Savannah paradoxically sings about feeling invisible, transport ‘WOW!’ to the next level, elevating it into an especially unique body of work. 

Similarly, the 80s cinematic feel of ‘You & Me’ and ‘Parking Lot’ fully brings the bedroom pop immersion to life, but without defying the album’s polished and intricate production.

‘Jam!’ leads the project to a climactic peak, drawing listeners back to the dancefloor with its mantra-like refrain, “Replay me, that's my baby.” Meanwhile, ‘Chevron’ delivers a surreal, Bonnie & Clyde-esque moment, in one of the album’s most entertaining tracks and another standout display of sibling synergy.

As discourse arises around Gen Z’s fear of being perceived, or how ‘cringe culture’ is stopping the generation from attempting new things, as recently pointed out by writer Ocean Vuong, it is incredibly exciting to see such a boundary-pushing body of work.

As hopeful as it is crushing, ‘WOW!’ serves as a reckoning with limerence, fantasy, and the limits and beauty of your inner world; a "spilling of guts" in the best sense of the idiom. 

As a sophomore album, it is cohesive and equal parts confessional, sexy, and euphoric, serving as a tribute to dancefloors and to the bedroom walls that watch us scribble nonsense at night, everywhere.

‘WOW!’ by Between Friends is out now on all streaming platforms.

Between Friends can be found on Instagram.

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WORDS BEA VASQUES

PHOTO ANA PINTO