Indie-pop Duo Eighty Ninety Returns for a New Era With Their New Single “Yourself”

Eighty Ninety, an exciting NYC-based indie-pop duo is finally back with their new single “Yourself”, released on November 15, 2024. This emotionally charged track marks their first release since their self-titled debut album, and it’s a perfect blend of their signature indie-pop energy and introspective lyrics. Brothers Harper and Abner began making music together as kids, raised in a household filled with instruments and creativity. Now, with the success of early releases like "Three Thirty" and "Your Favorite Song", Eighty Ninety has garnered a loyal following and is now ready to take the next step in their musical journey with the release of “Yourself”. Known for their captivating blend of pop and storytelling, their music resonates with fans across the globe. Harper and Abner shared with us the journey behind their music, their inspirations, what’s next for them, and more. 

Check out Eighty Ninety’s new single, “Yourself”:

What first got you into music?

Our parents were musically inclined so we always had instruments laying around the house when we were growing up. Neither of us remember exactly when it happened, but we know we were pretty young when we started to pick them up and make noise! Soon after that music became an essential part of our lives. 

Can you tell us more about the meaning of “Yourself”? Is there a message you hope listeners take from this song?

“Yourself” is about coming to terms with having to let go of any reservations, or safe distance, from a person if you truly want to be in a real relationship with them — and knowing that you will ultimately lose them if you don't. It's the paradox that in order to hold onto someone, you have to let go of a lot of things that may be hard to part with at first. But it's worth it.

When did you guys decide to start this project together? What was this process like, did it take time to form this project into what it is today?

We'd played music together informally since high school, written songs, and sent them back and forth. We both ended up in New York City for college and after we graduated it felt like the right time to formalize it a bit. Harper was working in a studio and over the course of a few months we would meet after hours to work on what would become our first single "Three Thirty". Once we finished it, we liked it enough to want to put it out — at that point, we were like, I guess we're in a band!

Press Photos by Eric T. White

Did the recognition you received on your early work add any pressure when making your next project? How did you deal with that pressure, and did the early success and recognition of your debut single have any influence on the music you made following that?

In some ways it added a lot of pressure, but in other ways it actually freed us a lot. We had created that song with zero expectations, and the fact that people responded to it was a huge relief: it meant that when we made things we loved, just for us, they would connect with other people. The hard thing was to try and stay true to that idea — making things for fun, for us — rather than chasing any specific element of "Three Thirty" that we thought had made it succeed. When Taylor Swift picked our second single "Your Favorite Song" for her playlist — which had a completely different sound to "Three Thirty" — we felt truly validated in that regard. It's hard not to analyze past success to try to chart your future choices, but really, staying true to what excites us in the moment thankfully seems to generate the best results.

What were your goals when you first started the project? Did you ever expect the level of success you have seen so far, and do you have any different goals now after having success with your early releases?

I remember saying to Harper: I want one blog to write one nice thing about this, haha. Safe to say we were pleasantly surprised. But in all seriousness, just connecting with more listeners and releasing more music. Touring more. We love what we're doing, so just the more we can do, the happier we'll be. But we don't have an idea of "success" floating out there that we're reaching toward. We've learned that that is a mirage — you never get there, it keeps receding into the distance. We're trying to enjoy making music in a community with other musicians and listeners.

How did you come up with the name “Eighty Ninety” for this project? Is there a backstory behind the name you’d like to share?

There is, but we love everyone's interpretations (we've heard eras, radio stations, decades, speeds, a high-way somewhere in the US) and want to keep all of those alive, so for now we're keeping the true meaning of it to ourselves!

Are there any specific genres or artists that have influenced your sound?

Everything from 90s brit-pop and indie to more experimental contemporary producers — with maybe an element of americana or even country-like storytelling in the lyrics.

You’ve described your music style as “808s and telecasters”, can you tell us more about what that entails?

That was shorthand for our studio approach — whatever the song calls for, we'll use it. We didn't want to stick to any genre conventions that would get in the way of expressing the truest form of the song.

What keeps you guys going as musicians and inspires you to keep making music?

Life, haha. Music is how we process our lives, and so as long as that keeps coming — we're going to turn to music to make sense of it all. To celebrate it, mourn it, decipher it, commiserate and share it. The connection we feel with listeners and other musicians is impossible to replace.

What can listeners expect from your upcoming music? 

We've spent that past year producing a new record we're very excited about. It's pretty ambitious, pretty long, and has a lot of layers. This song is a good first step because it's sonically pretty familiar – it’s a good bridge from our last record to this new one. But bottom line, there's a lot more coming.

Which upcoming unreleased songs are you most excited for people to hear?

That's hard! There's one called “Neon Heart” that's been in the back of our minds for a long time and has finally found a home on our next record, so we're excited about sharing that one!

What’s next for Eighty Ninety? Are there any announcements you would like to share?

Yes! We have a new record coming next year – stay tuned!