It might be a four day work week, but we are already craving the strobe lights and airy tunes that are synonymous with a weekend motive. Providing the perfect backing track, HEXE gifts us with the sparkling “Crush” — an ethereal soundscape filled with the addictive nostalgia of classic 90s electronic music.
While Lex Stowe’s angelic vocals dance across a hip-swaying beat, “Crush” starts to divulge the spine-tingling elation that comes when falling for a new lover. Furthering this feeling, “Crush” comes complete with a dynamic visual shot in black and white. Encapsulating the irresistible sensuality of the track, the visual sees the vocalist draped in lacey lingerie under flashing strobe lights. Creating a passionate display of sexual empowerment, “Crush” eradicates the negative connotations often attributed to a woman that is confident in her promiscuity.
In light of the electro-pop duo’s latest release, we sat with HEXE to discuss their personal interpretation of the track, their experience with TikTok and their next steps for the coming year. To read the full interview and to stream the visual, head below…
Congrats on the “Crush” single – how did you guys come together to form HÉXË?
Thanks!… I (lex) was doing a lot of remote top lining for producers/dj’s prior to meeting Cal. One project needed vocal tracking so I was put in contact with a London based producer, who turned out to be Cals dad (daddy Raab, I refer to him as), to organise a recording session. One thing led to another and he played me some of Cals production, which I fell in love with immediately. Cal and I got in contact off the back of that and had our first session together, in which we created our first ever single ‘Words’ and we’ve been working together ever since. It’s been a solid 5 years or so now!
How did being one of the first to release on TikTok’s new platform Sound On come about?
We sent ‘Crush’ over to TikTok prior to the release date and they loved it! They said that they wanted to back it, and by releasing it on Sound On they could help to push the single. We’ve had a great response on the app so far so we’re over the moon.
Tell us about the video, where did the video idea come from?
The video is a contrast between sexual empowerment and surrealism. Lex is passionate about sexual empowerment and we wanted to channel that expression into the video in a sophisticated and artistic way. We regard sexual empowerment and surrealism as similar art forms. So rather than just trying to be dead sexy in the video, we instead attempted to promote an open mind to the unusual, and provoke the uncomfortability that may arise in viewers. We believe that this is a healthy way to encourage sexual exploration, because sexual empowerment is about getting comfortable in your own sexuality.
You say your music is influenced by sexual expression and empowerment, how does that stay relevant in your music?
We have a lot of yet-to-be-released music that focuses on sexual expression within our lyrical concepts, though we certainly don’t write about sex all the time. However, the darkness of a production or the vocal performance can often be suggestive. We keep sexual empowerment relevant by channelling this influence into our visuals and overall aesthetic, as well the music we make. We believe that sexual expression is an art form and the beauty of art is that it doesn’t need to make sense. So sometimes it may seem relevant, sometimes it may not, and we’re ok with that.
What are your plans for the summer and rest of 2022?
We have plenty more releases in the pipeline, working mainly on single releases currently. We’ll be continuing to expand on our aesthetic and our brand, and hope to get some gigs lined up over summer!
