Music Spotlight: BRÅVES
LA-based songwriter-producer trio BRÅVES released their latest track Mean Girls featuring LA-based vocalist Lilli Wilder last week, and the collaboration is an impeccable balance of emotive vocals + sultry production. As Wilder says, “Mean Girls is a song about a much younger me who didn’t know how to fall in love with the right person. I could not be more proud of how authentically it speaks to the complexities of how I was feeling at the time. BRÅVES gave this song life and I hope you love it as much as we do." It’s safe to say we absolutely love this song. We caught up with Johnny What of BRÅVES to chat about the track + what’s next. Spoiler alert: We’re counting down to spring!
photo by Louis Rodiger // makeup by Christa Allen
Asymmetric Magazine: Congrats on the release of Mean Girls! Can you tell us all about the song?
Johnny What: Thank you! Mean Girls is the first song we wrote with Lilli Wilder. We all fell in love with it immediately. It got a little heat—there was some talk about other artists cutting it, but after a year of waiting, we decided to put it out. I mean, who is going to sound better singing it than Lilli-fucking-Wilder anyway? The song is about being into someone that treats you like trash. Whatever the reason may be—whether it's childhood programming or a kink—we've all been there.
AM: How do you think it compares to your previous work?
JW: It's one of the best songs we've ever written. We're very proud of it. We've been on a featured artist kick recently. It's been fun to get out of the self-imposed box.
AM: Are there any consistent themes you typically pursue through your music?
JW: It's usually some form of twisted romance. Not in an abusive way—just a little dark.
AM: For first time listeners, how do you like to describe your sound?
JW: Post-apocalyptic Beach Boys.
AM: What other musicians are you currently listening to? Do you have a favorite playlist you can share?
JW: I'm loving ford. a lot. Also, Photay No Sass is such a jam. We should make a playlist. We'll take that under advisement. Thank you.
AM: Where is one place that you feel completely in touch with your creative self and your music?
JW: My home studio. I have all the tools I need to create anything I can imagine. It's empowering.
I have all the tools I need to create anything I can imagine. It's empowering.
AM: What is something that inspires you outside of music?
JW: Sociology. I love how counter-intuitive the reasons for certain events can be. You think you know exactly why something happened, but then you analyze the data, and it's something you never expected.
AM: What can we expect to hear from you next?
JW: We've got a couple relatively big announcements coming soon. One of them involves a new album. Fuck it—we're putting out a new BRÅVES album this spring. Hooray!
// listen to Mean Girls:
// Listen to more BRÅVES on Spotify.
