It's been nearly a year since NYC-based, indie rock band Eighty Ninety released Elizabeth - their stunning debut EP. We've been anxiously awaiting new music from band members (and siblings) Abner and Harper James - and the wait is finally over. Today, the band releases their fantastic new single, "Your Favorite Song," the brilliant follow-up and worthy streaming competitor to their previous hit singles, "Three Thirty" and "Heartbreaker" - the former has already racked up nearly 15 million plays on Spotify. With only four officially-released tracks to their name, everything Eighty Ninety has released is nothing short of hit-worthy, well-crafted tunes. These guys are bursting with talent and clearly know how to write, perform and produce the perfect pop song.
“Your Favorite Song” is the first single off Eighty Ninety's upcoming Bowery Beach Road EP and is a fitting follow-up to their previous material from Elizabeth. The emphasis is on acoustic guitar and smooth, engaging vocals right from the outset. Incorporating a rhythmic melody and upbeat vibe, this fresh, well-balanced pop gem is one you'll find yourself humming or singing along to in no time. Eighty Ninety comments, "The song is a bittersweet but ultimately hopeful take on the past we began to explore in our first EP, Elizabeth. It also provides a context for the rest of the EP, which has some darker moments of emotional reckoning more rooted in the present — what is life like now that that person, that place, and that time of life is in the past?"
SoundThread caught up with Eighty Ninety to gain a bit more insight into "Your Favorite Song."
Regarding the origin and theme of the new single, Eighty Ninety's Abner James remarks, "For me, a song and a person can become inseparable. It can happen both in a literal song-of-the-summer-on-repeat-in-the-car way and also a metaphorical one: a feeling and and story unfolding over time that carries you away and that you want to replay over and over. 'Your Favorite Song' is about that experience - and about someone who was like my favorite song. To get super meta: the idea that maybe this song itself becomes one that means something to some people is a kind of fun thing to think about."
In addition to the great songwriting, it's impressive that Eighty Ninety is also responsible for the production and mixing of their music. Eighty Ninety's Harper James comments on the production and mix for the new track: "With 'Your Favorite Song,' we wanted to make sure that the song's feeling of intimacy wasn't diluted by an extravagant production. We tracked the guitar and vocal first and then built everything else around those elements, adding percussion, electric guitars, and pads only where we felt they would underscore the song's emotional beats or moments. We liked the idea of starting out with just the singer, and then having the arrangement subtly lift and take the listener on a trip through the story, and then just gently drop them back off. Almost like everything but the vocal and acoustic guitar is not exactly real, but somewhere in that haze between imagination and memory."
So, do yourself a favor and have a listen to this captivating and catchy new track from this emerging indie band - "Your Favorite Song" is very likely to become 'your favorite song' (pun fully intended).
For more information about Eighty Ninety, check out their official website, stream their music on Spotify and SoundCloud, and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.