Fresh off of dropping their fantastic third album Saved, emo-pop darlings Now, Now – made up of KC Dalager and Bradley Hale – are showing no signs of slowing down. Friends for nearly two decades, the pair have been busting out bangers for ten years, and their latest record shows that they’ve still got it.

Rife with brooding lyrics and bewitching off-kilter pop sounds, Saved is a stunning record full of honesty and openness that you’ll want to play over and over again. Currently wowing audiences with it as they make their way through a European tour, we caught up with KC to find out even more.

How did you two meet?

We met when we were 15 at marching band camp.

Was it “let’s make music together” at first sight?

We still to this day aren’t really sure how exactly we started making music together. I remember Brad convinced me to show him a song I wrote on a 4 track cassette recorder. I had just started playing guitar and writing. I had no idea what I was doing. Brad had been recording and writing music since he was young. He always made his sister and neighbors record songs.

You first met around 15 years ago, how has your relationship changed since then?

Our relationship has evolved but I wouldn’t say it’s changed. We obviously got closer and closer over the years but I think we have reached maximum closeness many years ago. We are siamese twins. We communicate better than we ever have now though.

How has growing up together affected your music, if at all?

It definitely affects our writing process. We can be very blunt and straightforward with each other. We have no filter with each other. It can seem from an outside perspective kind of harsh. But we are unfazed. We have no ego with each other, so no one’s feelings can really get hurt. I think the fact that we are so comfortable with each other makes it easier for us to be comfortable being ourselves and being vulnerable. I think it brings out the best in each of us.

What’s been the biggest change with your music since you began?

I think the biggest change is our confidence. It allows us to be less afraid to try ideas and pursue new ideas without being self conscious. So I think our song writing has gotten stronger and more concise. We have a clearer idea of what we are doing now.

You just dropped your third album! How long have you been working on it?

Saved is finally out!!! We had been writing for a new album since 2013. But 2014-2017 is where the bulk of it happened.

How does it feel to finally have it out?

It’s kind of impossible to explain how it feels. I don’t think the reality has really set in for either of us yet. We are on tour at the moment so I don’t think it will hit me until we are back home when I can really digest it.

How does it differ to your previous records?

As I mentioned a moment ago, our confidence level has played a huge role in our writing and what we end up creating. For us, this is our strongest body of work. It’s the most straightforward we’ve ever been. The most lyrically open and to the point I’ve ever been. It feels incredibly satisfying. I have zero regrets with this album. I’ve never been able to say that before about anything we’ve ever worked on. And I love every song equally. It is a new world for us to feel this proud and this confident about our music.

What’s the record about?

This album is about love, self doubt, patience, hopefulness, and perseverance. Love is my religion. That is the concept in its simplest form.

What would you like people to take away from it?

I would like people to be fully submerged. To feel things about themselves and other people that maybe they’re afraid to acknowledge. I am so guided by my heart and my emotions. It’s okay to feel consumed, and to let that power you.

You’ve just played at The Great Escape in Brighton. How do English crowds compare to American?

I think there are so many factors to any given location or show, but specifically our London shows have always been exceptionally wild. We have never headlined in these places (other than London) so it’s cool to see people showing up and caring. It’s very validating.

What’s your fave thing about performing live?

I love the energy of playing shows. It’s so much fun for us now. I’ve always wished it was. I used to see bands seem like they were having fun on stage and sound good and I was so envious. We’ve learned to take shows where we feel out of touch with the audience and make them about us and our experience. So the amount of shows we play where we are stressed out is greatly outnumbered by the shows we play that are a lot of fun or gratifying.

What are you working on now?

The album just came out, so at the moment we are just focusing on our live show. Once we get a little time to be home, we’ll both go into writing for ourselves and for other people. We have a no pressure writing session lined up with our friend Chelsea Jade this summer. I just want to keep gaining more experience and getting better and more confident with writing and my voice. Other than that, we will keep creating more visual content. That is one of my favorite pieces of this project.

What else are your plans for the year?

Lots of touring. We want to keep taking our live show to the next level. And continue taking all of our content and writing to the next level. This is going to be a year of growth for us in every way. We are ready.