PRINCESS GOES CAPTIVATES IN EXPERIMENTAL “HEART 2 HEART”
Photo Credit: Alexander Thompson
In a world where far too many songs feel engineered for an algorithm, Princess Goes are a reminder that music can still be weird, unpredictable, and built around the simple idea of making something that sounds fucking cool.
The New York City trio return with “Heart 2 Heart,” an avant-garde, genre-bending track that puts the chemistry between Michael C. Hall, Matt Katz-Bohen and Peter Yanowitz front and center. Clocking in at just over four minutes, the song rarely stays in one place for long. Each section seems to take on a different form before bleeding naturally into the next, keeping you hooked from beginning to end.
It’s dark, brooding, and unmistakably loud. “Heart 2 Heart” opens with distorted guitars blasting through the mix before pulling back into something far more atmospheric and ethereal. That push and pull becomes one of the track’s greatest strengths, moving between moments of intensity and space without losing its identity.
Hall’s vocals melt into the track, adding another layer to an already immersive sonic landscape. Around him, Katz-Bohen and Yanowitz bring daring synths, pounding drums, and electronic textures that weave seamlessly into the song’s darker indie foundation.
There’s a lot happening here, but it never feels like experimentation for experimentation’s sake. Every shift adds something, whether it’s another burst of distortion, an unexpected electronic flourish, or a moment where the entire thing seems to open up and breathe.
“Heart 2 Heart” feels like the beginning of another evolution for Princess Goes. It’s strange, sharp, innovative, and just incredibly fun to listen to. More importantly, it suggests the trio still has plenty of new territory they want to explore.
We’ll find out just how deep that rabbit hole goes when Princess Goes release their new album, 3, on October 30.
EXCLUSIVE Q&A WITH PETER YANOWITZ
“Heart 2 Heart” feels particularly explosive, standing out a bit from the previous singles. What was different about writing and recording this one?
“On our previous 3 releases (2 LPs and 1 EP), we sort of eased you into the albums w/ a more ambient, atmospheric approach, like a gentle gust of wind. On this new full-length '3' we liked the idea of flipping that on its head and wanted to start with a bang… literally… like a huge thunderclap giving the listener a good kind of scare… like if you thought this album was gonna be like this or that, then think again. Heart 2 Heart was an old instrumental jam in D that I brought into the sessions. I thought it might stay instrumental, but in the end our producer, Brandon Bost, convinced us to write lyrics and develop the B sections further. I'm glad he did. It's a song about the band and our shared creativity. It's 'bigger' than us. 'Let it rain' is literally speaking to getting our emotions/creativity out. The 3 of us don't understand where this collaboration came from or how we ended up making music together, but we're here for it and want to get out of its way so it can 'be what it will be'.‘
Across “Sincere Chroma,” “Stranger,” “French Kiss,” and now “Heart 2 Heart,” each track seems to reveal a different side of 3. Was there a particular direction or feeling you wanted the album to explore?
“'3' is the first album we made outside of our clubhouse in downtown Manhattan, where we've self-produced all our other albums. this time we worked with an amazing young producer, Brandon Bost, who has mixed all of our other records in the past, but we promoted him to take the helm this time and for good reason.. he is a gifted musician/arranger/producer/engineer.. he has it all going for him. We worked in his tiny little studio space in Greenpoint, NY, and we just kind of reinvented who we are as a band. Brandon co-wrote some of the songs with us, and continually pushed us to go deeper and work in a different way. i don't think i've ever learned more about making records than i did making '3'. It feels like everything came together on this album, and the sonics matched the songwriting.”
Princess Goes brings together three musicians with very different creative backgrounds and histories. As you’ve continued developing the band’s sound, what has surprised you most about where that collaboration has taken you?
