Indie-pop duo Eighty Ninety have returned, and their new single "Hollywood Dream" is a slow-thrilling stunner that plays like the breakup part of a rom-com montage meets late-night longing. Featuring striking level production, chugging guitars, and Abner James' delicate yet devastating voice, the track could almost be a history of a love story we already know by heart, but can't help watching again.
Brothers Abner and Harper James reaffirm their command of emotionally intelligent songwriting, with the openness here paired with earworm melodies that sneak up on you. In a minute, you're grooving right along, the next thing you know, you're staring at the ceiling, making a case for that last situation ship. Steeped in the push and pull of romantic fantasy versus truth, "Hollywood Dream" explores that druglike kind of love that feels too good to be true and is just a little bit addictive. It's somehow about the high and yearning that consumes a relationship when you get swept away, but then wonder if all of those feelings are love or just an addiction. That emotional complexity is interwoven through the hook of the song, which wafts over a stark melding of electronic textures and live flourishes that the band dubs.
At a time when escapism and reality are colliding more intensely than ever before, "Hollywood Dream" strikes the perfect balance, making you feel seen while still allowing you to fade into the background. It's everything we have come to love about Eighty Ninety, dreamy, devastating, and dangerously replayable.