Interview: Beau Return to Set the Night on Fire with Indie Rock Anthem "Dance with Me"

A pulsing, expressive indie rock indulgence, Beau’s “Dance with Me” is a reckless abandon in all the right ways – an electric, intoxicating return for the New York City duo that could not have come at a better time!

for fans of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Strokes, Interpol

Stream: “Dance with Me” – Beau

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/895629031″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=true&visual=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]

It’s electric, immersive, and altogether intoxicating: After five long years, New York City duo Beau have returned with a feverish anthem we’ll be dancing to for years to come. A pulsing, expressive indie rock indulgence laced with an alluring devil-may-care post-punk attitude, “Dance with Me” is reckless in all the right ways: An invitation to throw our cares away and thrive on the dance floor from dusk ’til dawn, or until they kick us out.

At least, that would have been the case before the pandemic – and that will be the case after it, too; for now, this song is our one-way ticket to euphoria at a time when reasons to feel good are few and far between.

Dance with Me - Beau — Dance with Me – Beau

i’m following the footsteps of a crazy person
and i’m lost in my mind
you know that i lost it
but I can’t define all the things it’s cost it

move from the left, to the right
to the front, and then back
turn around – don’t get hurt
most of my life,
well most of it’s been free
isn’t that how it oughta, oughta be

Released September 30, 2020 via HeavyRoc Music, Beau’s first single in five years could not have come at a better time. Now more than ever, we need a reason to dance: A vessel through which we can let ourselves go, get loose, and just vibe in the moment: To recognize what we have, who we have, and all the goodness in our lives. “Dance with Me” is that long-sought release: The soundtrack to our existential crisis and a necessary catharsis.

It’s also the long-awaited second chapter for one of New York’s most exhilarating up-and-coming bands.

Emerging in the early 2010s, the indie rock duo of Heather Goldin and Emma Jenney had made a name for themselves throughout their native New York City before scoring a record deal with Sony Music imprint Kitsuné Musique. They subsequently released a self-titled EP in early 2015, followed later that year by their debut album That Thing Reality. At the tender age of 21, Goldin and Jenney found themselves whisked into the whirlwind of tour life: They spent the next year playing their music to audiences around the United States, supporting the likes of Miike Snow, Lewis Del Mar, Miike Snow, Coast Modern, and BØRNS. Between their dazzling vocals, gritty melodies, and impassioned lyrics, the young act put on one hell of a show.

“Every opportunity we got made us light up and we just felt honored when people would show up and sometimes even sing our lyrics to us!” the pair say of that early experience. “We felt like we were doing something that not many 20 year olds got the chance to do.”

Goldin and Jenney returned home triumphant in late 2016, and while Beau has been largely silent over the past four years, that doesn’t mean they’ve been sitting idly by; in fact, quite the opposite. “We’ve definitely grown up and think Beau has matured a little bit. We’ve taken a step forward in our personal lives and also musically. We challenged ourselves to write and produce the best music we could, and make something that was really true to what we were going through at the time.”

“Right now we feel really empowered by the fact that we’ve created our own team with people based out of our hometown NYC.”

Fully independent from their former major label, 2020’s Beau is more badass than ever. Just one listen through “Dance with Me” reveals the band’s growth and affirms their confidence. The song struts into existence with a dynamic, defiant beat groove, and it isn’t long before Goldin’s unassuming, intimate vocals are howling out the chorus. From a subdued start, it rises up to be a tidal force that overwhelms and enchants.

If you’ve been holding on to things; if you’ve been stressed and anxious; if you’ve missed those long nights that never seemed to end; if you’re in need of release, then “Dance with Me” is here to help. Beau’s new music is transportive and transcendent, soaring into our lives with a fiery and unabating thirst.

Atwood Magazine spoke to Heather Goldin and Emma Jenney to discuss the ins and outs of “Dance with Me,” going independent, New York City’s influence, and more. Stream their exciting new single out now, and catch up with Beau in our interview below!

Rejuvenated and refreshed, Beau are making a grand re-entrance onto the scene – and we couldn’t be happier to welcome them back.

This song is about dancing during troubled times and making it fun. When life or people around you get crazy, what is your inner dialogue?

— —

:: **stream/purchase Dance with Me here** ::

Stream: “Dance with Me” – Beau

A CONVERSATION WITH BEAU

Atwood Magazine: I guess for starters, can you tell me a bit about who Beau is today, compared to the band we first met five years ago?

Beau: We’ve definitely grown up and think Beau has matured a little bit. We’ve taken a step forward in our personal lives and also musically. We challenged ourselves to write and produce the best music we could, and make something that was really true to what we were going through at the time. Lyrically we have always been pretty blunt and honest, but we were very hands on in producing these records in a way we weren’t on our first album.

You were 21 at the time of your debut. What was the experience like coming of age and touring alongside other such acclaimed acts?

Beau: I think we even toured before we were 21 a bit, after some singles were released, so yeah, it was intense and exciting! Every opportunity we got made us light up and we just felt honored when people would show up and sometimes even sing our lyrics to us! We felt like we were doing something that not many 20 year olds got the chance to do.

I’ll just ask point-blank, why the long wait in-between music?

Beau: There was a lot going on internally and I think we just needed some growing to do, which ended up making this new music so much better! It was hard to build a new team from scratch and we didn’t want to rush any opportunity. We knew we were ready when the time was right. We were writing constantly during the long wait though. The good thing about time is there is so much room to be creative.

How have you two grown as artists and musicians over the past five years? is there anything you’re particularly excited to share that separates who you were, from who you are?

Beau: I think we combatted a lot of emotional turmoil that we had experienced from broken relationships. We went through it, recovered, and then had the perspective to write about it. We reflected on who we were and what exactly we wanted to accomplish in the studio now, and that made our newer music feel more complete and more relatable. We have just become more comfortable with being ourselves today and saying how we feel and what we want. The fear has gone!

We share New York City as our home; how do you feel our city shines through your music? Where do you hear its influence?

Beau: We love New York City so much and have written pretty much every song in a basement in downtown Manhattan. I think the NYC influence comes through even when we don’t mean for it to. The way we write and produce our songs is naturally kind of grungy and dirty, paired with really honest lyrics. We hope you feel NYC in these new songs!

Independence is hard won for many label-signed artists. Do you mind sharing your personal experience, and your takeaway from your time with Kitsuné/Sony?

Beau: We think independence is right for us now and with this growing musical world and huge independent scene, it just makes sense for us. Kitsunè was wonderful to us and we learned so much from working with them and their amazing team. Right now we feel really empowered by the fact that we’ve created our own team with people based out of our hometown NYC, and are excited to do the ground work independently!

When was “Dance with Me” written, and what is this song about for you?

Beau: “Dance With Me” was written last summer. It was written on a piano originally in our studio basement. This song is about dancing during troubled times and making it fun. When life or people around you get crazy, what is your inner dialogue? That is what this song is.

Why introduce your sophomore album with this song?

Beau: It’s fun and light.

“Dance with Me” opens so subdued, only to rise up to a tidal force. It’s almost like you’re teasing out the song. Why opt for this sort of musical rollout?

Beau: I like the way you put that. I think it just happened naturally that way. Everyone loves a big chorus.

“Dance with me, I’m waiting for more,” you sing in the chorus. What do you feel in this moment, and what do you envision when that word “more” comes around?

Beau: When I dance, I often never want it to end. That feeling of the last song going on at the club and you shout, “Noooo, one more” is what that line is about.

Do you have any favorite lyrics in this track?

Beau: “I work hard for this and I work hard for that.”

How do you feel this song captures 2020’s “new and improved” Beau? What most excites you about it?

Beau: This really feels like our time. We have never felt more present and more awake and ready to be here now. We are most excited for people to enjoy the music.

Can you share a little more about your upcoming album, and what we can expect to hear from you in the coming months?

Beau: We are going to release a series of singles instead of an album right away. Expect something new and fun and Beau! The album will definitely come, we are just finalizing a few more details, but we are so excited!

— —