After recently returning with their stunning comeback singles 'Undercover Woman' and 'Bogeyman' last year, fast-rising duo Bonneville are back once again to deliver their vibrant new offering 'Beautiful One'.
Bringing back more of that warm and swaggering aesthetic they have been building for themselves over the years, 'Beautiful One' makes for an incredibly rich and inviting listen. With its disco-inspired textures, soaring atmosphere, and mesmerising hooks layered throughout, they are keeping the vibes high across this dynamic new delight.
So with the new single available to stream now, we sat down with them to find out more about their origins and what has been inspiring them most over the years.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
Wes: My mother had a piano that sat in our special occasion dining room. At the ages of 3-6, I go under the piano and hide. It was cavernous to me with the piano bench almost being a protective gate from the troubles outside my parents were having . There was a small gap just under the keys that if I moved the wooden slats up and down, the keys would move and play notes.
Jeff: Well, my first love would have been drums as I was always banging on stuff as a kid, but that didn't last long. When I was 3, my dad bought me a little drum kit. I quickly lost the drumsticks and resorted to a pair of steak knives from the kitchen…It didn't end well for the drums. So instead, it was the guitar when I turned 11 and was less prone to destroying things I cherished.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
Wes: I remember loving disco as a kid. We had the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack and Donna Summer playing non stop along with Thriller and The Empire Strikes Back Soundtrack. Gotta love some John Williams.
Jeff: Mom and Dad had an eclectic and well rounded taste in music. So, it was everything from classical to contemporary, though I was partial to the Stones, Beatles, and of course, the Mighty Zeppelin.
What was the first album you remember owning?
Wes: The first album that was ever given to me was the J Geils Band and I’d play Centerfold until the needle fell off.
Jeff: Led Zeppelin - CODA
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
Wes: Such Great Heights by Postal Service or Ave Maria which is just a perfect song or Sam Cook’s A Change is Gonna Come.
Jeff: Don’t Stop ‘till You Get Enough - Michael Jackson
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
Wes: Usually, I write when I’m completely mentally distressed or in great internal upheaval so I might need to maybe tweak my routine…it’s not sustainable. haha.
Jeff: So I seldom try to write anything intentionally. I write when I get hit with a melody or hook that won’t leave me alone (which is usually when I am half dreaming at 3 am). After that, there is a system of getting the basic idea down in the middle of the night so I don’t forget it. Then, I usually come back in a few hours with fresh ears and try to finish the whole song in one sitting. The ones we lean into tend to be songs that go from inception to completion in a single writing session. I have tons of tidbits in the hopper but I rarely come back to partial/unfinished ideas.
Who are your favorite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
Wes: Listening to The Smile Band a lot along with Future Islands. I also tend to have Khruangbin on repeat.
Jeff: I stick with the classics, the music I grew up with and am most familiar with. I’m easily influenced by tonics and I need to be cognizant of that. Sometimes, someone else’s hook gets stuck in my head and I want to throw a variation at it and make it my own. It’s safer for me to make sure that if that happens, it’s from a much older tune and not something super current, so honestly, by design I don’t listen to much contemporary music. Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of Steely Dan, Donnie Hathaway, Santana, and Bobby Womack.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Wes: See above haha or Queen when Freddy was at the helm.
Jeff: Steely Dan or the Stones.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
Wes: Finding my way through what seems to be a jumbled pile of ideas with people to finally make it to the other side and sit back and take in what we did.
Jeff: Once a track we cut is mastered and released to the world. It’s akin to the feeling one gets when taking care of an abandoned baby animal, nursing it back to health, and releasing it back to the wild.
And what is the most frustrating part?
Wes: The time in between the music.
Jeff: When the well of ideas runs dry.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
Wes: Stay focused - feed your art - starve your ego.
Jeff: In the words of Qunicy Jones, “Your music can never be more than you are as a human being. So you work on being a good human first, even before being a good musician.”
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Bonneville's new single 'Beautiful One' is available to stream now. Check it out in the player below.