Meet Pop Duo Hourglvss
After having a successful 2019 – with the release of their two singles and live shows – pop duo Hourglvss is looking to continue their rise in the pop spectrum. Their latest single ‘Supreme Beings’ sticks to their ethos of creating music that blends the lines of fantasy and reality. The buzzing new track is packed with a disco-inspired sound and discusses the importance of individuality. With plans to release more music later on this year, the ladies are ready to show the world a new side of Hourglvss.
We were able to chat with the pop duo about everything from their latest single ‘Supreme Beings’, the creative process for its accompanying visual and so much more…
Your latest single ‘Supreme Beings’ is fantastic! Can you take us through the creative process for the record?
Thank you! So we wrote the track with our third honorary Hourglvss member, Ben Christophers – he has this overwhelming ability to basically read our minds sonically and visually. Supreme Beings was a song that was, lyrically, a long time in the making for us an ode to inclusivity, spiritual love and the freedom to just be yourself, We wanted to create a piece of music that was a little bit lighter than our first two singles but something that still screamed Hourglvss.
We envisioned it to be like visiting the most amazing club in outer space, where everyone loves one another, there is no prejudice and self-love is the currency. Sprinkle some Euro Disco references and an obscene amount of glitter balls and you have Supreme Beings.
Will we be getting a video for the track soon? What concepts were you thinking of?
Yes! We had a whole scrapbook of ideas for this video. We were honestly planning living out our dream of partying in our fictional outer space nightclub but due to COVID-19, actually being in each other’s vicinity was out of the question so we just adapted to our surroundings and created a fabulous Disco club in lockdown. We took inspiration from our favourite fashion eras and transformed ourselves into different characters for each dress up.
How would you describe your sound?
We actually have our own little name that we use to describe our music. It’s Fantasy Pop. We take so much inspiration from so many different genres and eras of music that we found it impossible to categorise our sound but we love bands like Depeche Mode, Fleetwood Mac and artists such as David Bowie and Amy Winehouse all who made great Pop Music but had theatrics and an underlining Darkness to them.
Lyrically though, we love our songs to tell a story. Language is such a powerful tool, and being able to whisk someone off and take them on an emotional journey, be it happy or sad, is the thing we love about songwriting. It’s unifying and powerful.
Is there an artist or album from the ‘disco era’ that you look towards for inspiration?
With Supreme Beings, we definitely took inspiration from certain Disco artists and albums. Supernature by Cerrone was one. Gina X Performance’s 1979 Nice Mover album was another. Along with Aneka’s Japanese Boy, Sylvester’s You Make Me Feel, Sarah Brightman’s I Lost my Heart to a Starship Trooper (we actually recorded a cover of this during lockdown that you can find on our Facebook or Instagram) and obviously Swedish pop royalty ABBA.
How have you both been spending your time during the lockdown?
We are both naturally very proactive people so we have managed to keep ourselves super busy during the lockdown. Katie runs an online sustainable vintage store called Vintage Hearts UK. (Also the reason why our outfits are always mega – her wardrobe is one you can only dream of). I (Sophie) am a music and fashion freelance lifestyle writer, also working on a new music, fashion and lifestyle blog that we will hopefully be launching late this summer. We got busy and wrote lots of new material and developed some ideas, recorded some covers which we produced ourselves – also have had time to rework our live set, and many a girly cry telling each other how much we missed each other.
What does your daily routine look like?
Our daily routine consists of us chatting on the phone for roughly half an hour every morning; going about our work; another 10 minute chat around lunchtime to catch up; carry on with our work; then between 3 or 4 calls between tea time and bed to talk about our day and what we are going to wear for our next creative venture.
Did you two find it difficult to create music during this time?
At the beginning of lockdown, our main concern was how we were going to cope without seeing each other every week. But, because we live so far away from each other, we have always been able to write virtually. Once we digested the fact that we might not have been able to see each other for 3 months, we created a plan and set to work doing all the musical things we would have done together, but virtually. It was definitely tough, however, once we got used to it, it became the new norm and we were still as productive as normal.
What are you looking forward to the most once COVID-19 is a thing of the past?
Being able to play at our favourite festivals! The festival season not going ahead was definitely something that hit us the hardest. 100% our happy place, so being able to do our job whilst experiencing the wonders of a festival is something we never take for granted. Just bring on 2021 so we can dance forever, covered in feathers. (That’s a Supreme Beings lyric if you didn’t know.)
What can music listeners expect from Hourglvss in the coming months? an album or EP?
We have a couple of next single options that we are close to finishing and will release before the end of the year, possibly as part of an EP as we would love to include a slower song showing the other side of Hourglvss and we are also planning a way to do a virtual gig but whatever follows it will be explosive and fabulous and there will, of course, be lots of glitter.
Make sure to check out Hourglvss video for their brand new single ‘Supreme Beings’ below…
