Beau’s Heather Goldin and Emma Jenney catch up with Atwood Magazine for an intimate conversation about growing up and navigating friendships, NYC’s bustling music scene, the band’s dreamy new single “Talk to Me,” and their upcoming sophomore album, ‘Girl Cried Wolf’!
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Stream: “Talk to Me” – Beau
We’ve all been burned before – some more than others.
Often it’s unintentional – a loved one leaves their phone on silent and misses your message, a friend sees your text but has too much going on at work or at home, gets caught up in something, and forgets to respond. These situations happen all the time, and while they’re mostly short-term and temporary, they can feel devastating in the moment – leading us to wonder if we’ve done something wrong or somehow misread a situation.
Sometimes, silence is an innocent mistake, and sometimes, it’s a calculated and deliberate ending: A means of cutting someone out of your life, for good. And if you’re on the receiving end, you might not know which is which unless you ask, which is exactly what Beau do in their latest single. The New York City-based duo ache with loneliness and longing in “Talk to Me,” navigating love and friendship’s murky waters with dreamy, heartfelt, and achingly beautiful indie pop reverie.
You wear it on your sleeve
You can’t hide this from me
I don’t want no confrontation
I just need an explanation
Talk to me
Why do you leave me hanging
Talk to me, trust in me
Released July 10, 2024 via Immortal Records, “Talk to Me” is the dazzling, dramatic lead single off Beau’s highly anticipated sophomore album Girl Cried Wolf (out September 13). Arriving nearly a decade after the band’s 2015 debut album That Thing Reality, this seductively cinematic song – produced engineer/producer Brandon Bost (mixer of Barbie: The Movie Original Soundtrack, Mark Ronson, Maggie Rogers) – ushers in a bold new era for the band of longtime best friends Heather Goldin and Emma Jenney, who since their early teens have been attached at the hip and describe themselves as “sisters in sound and poetry.”
Between touring throughout the US and Europe and releasing a smattering of singles and EPs, Beau have kept plenty busy over the nine years since their debut; Atwood Magazine named their 2020 single “Dance With Me” to our Editor’s Picks, calling it a “feverish anthem we’ll be dancing to for years to come… electric, immersive, and altogether intoxicating; a pulsing, expressive indie rock indulgence laced with an alluring devil-may-care post-punk attitude.”
Two years later, the four-track Forever EP married “catchy, colorful indie rock with deeply cathartic emotion” to form an experience that is as vulnerable as it is wondrous. “Forever is a long, long time, but Goldin and Jenney have known each other as far back as they remember,” we wrote in a 2022 artist feature. “Musically mature, achingly honest, and unapologetically expressive, Forever delves into the depths of Goldin and Jenney’s hearts as they explore relationships, their own dreams and desires, and feelings of fulfillment, understanding, longing, and doubt.”
The past few years of artistic exploration, musical experimentation, soul-searching, and self-discovery have proved transformative in more ways than one, and Girl Cried Wolf is the culmination of Beau’s growth – a milestone marker showcasing who this remarkable duo have become.
What’s it gonna be?
Just want to go out tonight
I just wanna,
I just want to see you f*ing smile
Even though,
Even though you never tell the truth
“We definitely feel and see how we have grown in this album,” the band tells Atwood Magazine. “There’s more of a realness to this album that lyrically is less dreamy than that thing reality. This is the real-world album about pain, love, growth, acceptance, and honesty. It’s also about rocking out! We are two ladies in New York City trying to hustle and representing all the badass queens out there making the most despite the BS. What’s exciting is that we can really be free with this album – and that, in itself, feels so good and true to us.”
“Talk to Me” is a powerful introduction to that world, and a strong, expressive return showcasing Goldin’s golden vocals, Jenney’s emphatic guitar work, and the pair’s instinct for nuance, subtlety, and sincerity.
Burning up inside
Please let go of your pride
Your eyes give it all away
Away, away, away, away
Yet you’ve got nothing to say
To say, to say, to say, to say
“‘Talk to Me’ is about feeling desperate,” the band share. “Those moments when you just need a phone call or need to speak to someone who won’t answer. It’s a feeling of loneliness, but also finding hope in the midst of it all. The video amplifies the raw love we have for each other in our truest and most real nature.”
Talk to me
Why do you leave me hanging
Talk to me, trust in me
What’s it gunna be
Just want to go out tonight
I just wanna
I just want to see you f*ing smile
Even though
Even though you never tell the truth
Talk to me
Directed by Charles Billot, the song’s music video highlights that sense of intimate connection and disconnect that its music and lyrics evoke so well.
“The concept revolves around the duality of waiting for a call for help,” he explains. “In relationships, we build habits, safe spaces, and memories and when separation occurs, we revert to familiar reflexes. By splitting the screen and overlaying similar actions, I emphasized this duality, the act of waiting, and the reenactment of memories. A continuous shot of Heather singing to the camera, with Emma’s arm over her, translates these past feelings and the yearning for someone who is no longer present. We constructed a room in the studio where they shared memories but no longer interacted, capturing the essence of their disconnected yet intertwined experiences.”
Atwood Magazine recently caught up with Heather Goldin and Emma Jenney for an in-depth conversation about Beau’s new music. Dive into the band, their upcoming album, and their unfiltered and honest single “Talk to Me” in our interview below, and stay tuned for the release of Girl Cried Wolf, out September 13 via Immortal Record!
“Girl Cried Wolf is a character that represents the person you used to be and all that came with that. Every day you get another chance to redeem yourself and change. Crying out in pain all the time doesn’t always get you closer to love, sometimes ya just gotta shout girl cried wolf. The story of the boy who cried wolf is very inspirational, and sometimes we can relate to that boy.”
Why do you leave me hanging
Talk to me, trust in me
Talk to me
Why do you leave me hanging
Talk to me, trust in me
What’s it gonna be
Just want to go out tonight
I just wanna,
I just want to see you f*ing smile
Even though,
Even though you never tell the truth
Talk to me
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:: stream/purchase Talk to Me here ::
:: pre-order / pre-save Girl Cried Wolf here ::
Stream: “Talk to Me” – Beau
A CONVERSATION WITH BEAU
Atwood Magazine: Great to catch up, Heather and Emma! For readers who are new to Beau, how would you describe your band to a first-timer?
Beau: Hi 🙂 thank you for catching up with us! It means the world. For anyone new to Beau, we would describe ourselves as a very energetic, fun, chill yet stylish musical duo who rocks out, born and raised in New York City. We write songs about friendship, vulnerability, and growing up around artistic individuals. Our lyrical content emotes a ton of feeling that we hope gives our listeners a sense of not being alone in the world.
What's the story behind “Talk to Me,” and why did you choose to release this as the first single off your new record?
Beau: “Talk to Me” is a song we wrote a few years ago under the streets of New York City in our small downtown studio when we opened the doors to it. It was the first song written in our newly built recording studio, and we just wanted to take a crack at writing down there. There wasn’t exactly a person the song was about or anything; the melody actually came first and then the words. Little did we think how relatable the song would become as we got closer to our 30s. Everyone goes through a phase of wanting someone to talk to them and feeling desperate if they don’t get an answer – you just don’t know when, and that’s why we loved putting this song out now. Felt right.
You've talked about the feelings of desperation, loneliness, and hope that inspired this song. Where, for you, did those emotions stem from? Was there a specific moment or experience that spurred that?
Beau: These emotions stem from feeling rejected and going through an experience or set of experiences that leave you helpless. We are living in a time of instant satisfaction and the letdown is just as bad, if not worse, when someone does not respond to your call. Friend breakups suck. Especially best friends. Think of this song as the soundtrack to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
We are living in a time of instant satisfaction and the letdown is just as bad, if not worse, when someone does not respond to your call.
“Talk to Me” is so dreamy - a true enchantment following your Blondie covers earlier this year! Sonically, what were you going for with this song? What was your vision for it, if any?
Beau: Thank you! Sonically, our producer Brandon Bost was going for a synth-based drum based melodic vocal layering bowl of beauty. We referenced daft punk at some point but ultimately Brandon just got super inspired when we showed him this song. He used our original demo, which was more lo-fi and he very tastefully made the song bloom out of control. He is an amazing synth capitan. It’s our first major Brandon Bost X Beau collab.
I love the line “you wear it on your sleeve, you can’t hide this from me.” It’s a powerful way to start a conversation; what’s the significance of these words for you?
Beau: These words are very much what they mean. Life can feel like a game or dance of read the minds! Sometimes people say a lot without saying a thing – through their facial expressions, through not saying anything at all, or simply saying one thing but meaning something else.
Do you have any favorite lyrics or lines from this song?
Beau: “Burning up inside please let go of your pride” is one of my favorites!
Sometimes people say a lot without saying a thing – through their facial expressions, through not saying anything at all, or simply saying one thing but meaning something else.
This is, as we’ve mentioned, the lead single off your upcoming debut album, Girl Cried Wolf. How does this song set the scene for what’s to come?
Beau: It’s a surprise!!! But in all seriousness, it just shows you that we are about to blow yall’s minds.
It's been nearly a decade since That Thing Reality’s release. What most excites you about entering a new “album era,” if we can call it that, and how does the era of Girl Cried Wolf compare?
Beau: Hell yes, it’s totally a new album era. This interview is a lot of fun, by the way! Girl Cried Wolf is everything that has happened since That Thing Reality. I mean, we were children when we recorded That Thing Reality, and now we are full on adult women and running shit in NYC. It’s also wild, because we recorded this album here in our hometown. Feels so good.
Your PR describes, “Goldin and Jenney are growing up and telling us how on Girl Cried Wolf.” I wanted to zoom in on that; where, for you, do you hear your own growth? Where do you sense that maturity, that you may not have been able to sing or write about in the past?
Beau: We definitely feel and see how we have grown in this album. There’s more of a realness to this album that lyrically is less dreamy than that thing reality. This is the real-world album about pain, love, growth, acceptance, and honesty. It’s also about rocking out, haha!
What is the significance of the name Girl Cried Wolf, and how (if at all) do you feel that name captures the spirit of its songs?
Beau: “Girl Cried Wolf” is a character that represents the person you used to be and all that came with that. Every day you get another chance to redeem yourself and change. Crying out in pain all the time doesn’t always get you closer to love, sometimes ya just gotta shout girl cried wolf. The story of the boy who cried wolf is very inspirational, and sometimes we can relate to that boy.
In the spirit of teasing listeners, what else can fans look forward to off the new album? Anything we can share to start getting folks amped up and excited?
Beau: We have a new song coming out August 14th called “Messy,” and we are sooooo excited about this one. She is a cheeky lil’ number, and will be getting your hearts strung. Think garage rock, but 2024.
So much of Beau’s identity has forever felt wrapped up in New York City. What’s your relationship like with NYC? What about its music scene?
Beau: We love NYC and the music scene we grew up with is having a second wind now it seems! Lots of indie rock, alt punk, new wave pop bands coming out now.
What do you love most about this new song, and what do you hope listeners take away from it?
Beau: We hope listeners have a feeling that they are not alone, and we love that this song has an airy dance feel to it. Performing it is really fun.
In the spirit of paying it forward, who are you listening to these days that you would recommend to our readers?
Beau: Highly recommend Chappell Roan and PORCHES, The Smile, and Childish Gambino.
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:: stream/purchase Talk to Me here ::
:: pre-order / pre-save Girl Cried Wolf here ::
Stream: “Talk to Me” – Beau
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