Well, one of us is.(nods toward Harmony)
CAL:
Okay, I have to get you both off my stage right now because Ilegit can’t stand you. Last question! What’s next for you two? What’s on the schedule? You’ve got albums releasing soon, an EP, another duet?
RIFF:
Both albums release on the same day now. The label thought it’d be more fun that way.
CAL:
Package deal. Nice. Love it.
HARMONY:
Our EP,Night + Day, is going to be out a week prior to that, so you can all follow the emotional path that led us here. And yes, it will include another duet—which we just finished.
CAL:
Anamuse-bouchebefore the main course.
HARMONY:
Exactly.
CAL:
Alright, well, thank you both for being here. It’s been a pleasure. Everyone, “Lip Sync” is currently available to stream while you wait for the EP, along with Riff’s new albumThere Goes The Sunand Harmony’s new albumMy Lucky Stars. Please give it up for Riff Hurley and Harmony Sonora!
(Applause as they stand; Riff and Harmony wave, then walk offstage hand in hand)
I Think the Universe is on My Side
RIFF
TheCaliforniadesertsprawlsaround us, Joshua trees and tufts of sagebrush scattered over dry earth, along with wind-worn rock formations.
“Yep, just like that,” says the photographer. “Hold it. Perfect.”
Harmony and I stand close but not touching, shoulders angled to create a sense of tension.
The shutter clicks several times.
We essentially did this same photo shoot already, the first time at an indoor studio with solid backgrounds. Our EP was originally meant to have a minimalist visual style, but in the end the creative team didn’t like it, so now we’ve been called out to the wild at the last minute for a second round.
“They think this’ll be better for the theme,” Braden explained yesterday.
Someone at Glambam realized that our individual album titles had a thematic tie we didn’t notice before, one that could be carried over to the EP.
Harmony decided to call her albumMy Lucky Stars—after months of deliberation—as a throwback to her reality TVexperience, and then she said, “Also because I’m feeling really lucky these days” as she looked at me. The implication that I have something to do with that makesmethe lucky one, but I digress. Anyway, since my album is calledThere Goes The Sun, this is conducive to a “celestial” theme, says marketing. Thus, the EP will be calledNight + Dayand focus on opposites and now must incorporate nature and the open sky. Since Harmony and I are both from and based in California, it made sense to have that California “look” too.
Owing to not only our physical features but also our album titles, Harmony is the “night” subject and I’m the “day” subject. The EP will have a tagline below the title that reads “Opposites attract.”
“What’s even better,” Stefanie pointed out during one of our combined team meetings, “is that day transitions to night, and vice versa, so it’s not only about the opposites but also about a gradual transition offeelings.”
Harmony stared daggers at her for that. As if it’s not enough that Stefanie’s reading habits helped encourage Glambam’s insistence on our public pairing, she also takes every opportunity to hammer in the tropes.
“Now back to back,” the photographer tells us. “Look over your shoulder at each other. But still a little bit at me. Harmony, tilt your chin up. Good.”
