Hourglvss Interview
Disco duo Hourglvss, comprised of Northern soul sisters Katie Benbow and Sophie Williams, have just released their third single called ‘Supreme Beings’, a thoroughly infectious summer anthem that will get you up on your feet and dancing the night away, even if at the moment the club we’re heading to is the much frequented living room. I speak to Sophie about the trials and tribulations of creating in a lockdown, what Supreme Beings means to them, and advice for creatives struggling to find motivation for their passion projects at the moment.
Listen to the single below – and in my lockdown playlist!
Happy release day! How are you feeling?
Yay! We’re super excited about this release, we’ve been itching to release it since the day we set the date. Obviously at the minute the world is very topsy-turvy and the song is such a feel good anthem that just brings smiles to peoples faces.
Talk to me a bit about Supreme Beings – what inspired it, what does it mean to you?
Supreme Beings is about embracing individuality. In a world of shaming and comparing, we wanted to make a song to stand as a reminder that as dark as the new world may seem at times, we are in this together and we should encourage, celebrate, and most importantly, be kind to one another. Supreme Beings is our gift to anyone that has ever felt like they don’t belong.
What makes you most excited about releasing new music to the world?
I think the best thing about releasing new music is being able to share your art with the world. It’s such a private and sometimes solitary process, writing music, so when the time comes to release it and people latch on to it and relate to your work it’s a really exciting and rewarding feeling.
How are you guys managing with being apart at the moment?
Oh my god it’s awful! We are like sisters joined at the hip usually. If we’re not together we are chatting on the phone or Facetiming, and we often just get each other on the phone just so we’re with each other. We might not even talk. Katie might be sewing and I might be writing, but we like to know that we’re with one another.
Anything in particular you’re finding challenging?
I think we are both just adapting to the world at the minute. We are still creating and we are still talking every day, there’s just less human contact. I do think we are having a hard time adjusting to the fact that festival season is a no no and all the festivals we were excited to play will have to be put on hold until next year.
What advice would you give to creatives who may be struggling to find motivation to make their art in these times, and even in general?
When you’re a creative person, i feel it doesn’t really matter where you are or what you’re doing. There will always be something that will inspire you, influence you and motivate you. The only thing that’s tough is the uncertainty of everything at the minute – not knowing when we can start playing live again or record in the same room again. Creativity has no boundaries, it can jump out at you in the strangest of circumstances. Personally, I’ve always being such a shy and self conscious person, so writing has always given me an outlet. I can create a false persona and run with it. It has given me opportunities to step out of my comfort zones and be exactly who I’ve always been too shy to be. I also feel like if you’re currently finding yourself in a creative slump, don’t get stressed. It will always come back to you, because your creativity belongs to you.
What’s your favourite part about working together and making music?
We have such a great working relationship. It’s honestly like some sort of magic happens in the room when we are writing together. We finish each other’s sentences, we know what one another is going to say, we’re really in sync. To be honest, it’s just great working with someone who completely gets you, bigs you up, is your number one fan and and makes you feel good about your ideas.
Anything else in the works for this year?
Yes! We are currently in the process of selecting the songs for our debut EP! we’ve got so many songs written that are chilling in the vaults. We just love them all so much it’s so hard to choose which ones will make the cut. Other than that, we are always writing, always talking about fashion and ALWAYS dreaming of the day we get the green light for our Bond theme tune and our own personalised Bratz dolls.
How do you hope people will feel when they listen to Supreme Beings?
We just really hope it brings people hope. Hope, love, smiles, happiness, fun. It’s a song for people to belong to. To listen to and think “you know what? I’m fucking fabulous.”
What’s your WFTP hidden gem?
Our babe Megan is currently a resident disco DJ at Brighton radio station Radio Reverb. She hosts her own show The Louder Hour every Wednesday at 6PM and it is such a vibe. She is making space for all the alternative and fabulous bands on the scene, giving them a voice and she delivers it with such sass and vibrance. We’ve never not tuned in!
Interview By Venita – 17/05/20