We Speak Music

Creative Freedom Drives The Songs of Butler & Cupples on ‘Frequency’

Published

3 months ago

June 5, 2026

The Songs of Butler & Cupples return with ‘Frequency’, a captivating new release that further highlights the duo’s commitment to creative freedom and songwriting excellence. Following two well-received singles earlier this year, the project continues to build momentum through a distinctive approach that places ideas, collaboration, and musical substance at its core.

Formed as an antidote to the increasingly image-focused nature of the modern music industry, The Songs of Butler & Cupples operates without the limitations typically associated with traditional bands or genre labels. The project allows its creators to follow inspiration wherever it leads, resulting in a body of work that remains consistently unpredictable while retaining a strong artistic identity. ‘Frequency’ exemplifies that approach perfectly, drawing influence from jazz, R&B, and alternative pop to create something entirely its own.

The single explores the emotional complexities of nightlife, relationships, and shared experiences. Built around the metaphor of personal frequencies aligning or clashing, the track captures the exhilaration of meaningful connection alongside the uncertainty that can arise when communication breaks down. There is an underlying surrealism to the song’s narrative, lending it a cinematic quality that feels both intimate and expansive.

This sense of duality extends into the music itself. ‘Frequency’ pairs infectious melodies with adventurous production choices, blending live-band energy with contemporary sonic textures. The performances feel loose and instinctive, yet every element serves the song’s emotional core. It’s a combination that keeps listeners engaged from beginning to end, offering new details with every revisit.

As their catalogue continues to grow, The Songs of Butler & Cupples are proving that versatility and strong songwriting can coexist without compromise. ‘Frequency’ not only expands the project’s sonic horizons but also reinforces its central mission: creating meaningful music that connects through originality, emotion, and artistic honesty.

We Speak Music

Phoebe June Traces Love, Distance and Heartbreak on New EP ‘Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate’

Published

2 days ago

September 11, 2026

Joni Jones

For Phoebe June, some stories are easier to tell through music.

Her new EP, ‘Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate’, is an intimate collection that traces the emotional journey of a relationship from the exhilaration of falling in love to distance, uncertainty, heartbreak and, ultimately, learning to let go.

Inspired by artists including Gracie Abrams, Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers, Phoebe June combines diary-like lyricism with melancholic ballads, subtle uptempo moments and an understated, emotionally honest production style.

At the centre of the project is ‘Thursday’, a bittersweet track about loving someone from a distance and holding onto the hope that the connection might survive.

Written after Phoebe left a country that held deep personal meaning, and left someone she cared about behind, the song looks back at the relationship from its beginning. Even its title is personal: the two first met on a Thursday.

The song captures the complicated feeling of walking away from something meaningful without believing that it necessarily has to be over. It’s about distance, memory and the possibility of finding your way back to someone, while recognising that hope only works when it goes both ways.

Across six tracks, the EP develops that story in sequence.

‘Everything You Are’ opens the project with the warmth of new love, while ‘Dead Sea’ explores the security of finding someone who helps you stay afloat through difficult times. As the story progresses, ‘Thursday’ introduces separation before ‘Getaway Car’ moves into the aftermath; unanswered questions, lingering attachment and the realisation that someone can profoundly affect your life while still being unhealthy for you.

‘One Day’ leaves the door open to the possibility of a future reunion, balancing hope with the understanding that some relationships may only exist in memory.

The EP closes with ‘Ophelia’, its emotional breaking point. Inspired in part by Friedrich Heyser’s painting of the same name, the track confronts the pain of feeling manipulated and unappreciated after giving everything to someone else.

The result is a project that deliberately moves from light to dark. Phoebe June considered not only the narrative but the emotional progression when sequencing the EP, allowing the brightness of its opening to gradually give way to the heartbreak of its closing moments.

Even the title reflects that feeling.

‘Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate’ takes its name from a flower, with the image of a gate separating two people becoming a metaphor for a love that remains beautiful but just out of reach. To reach over it requires effort, just as maintaining a connection across distance, uncertainty and changing circumstances does.

Ultimately, Phoebe June isn’t interested in simply documenting her own heartbreak.

She wants listeners to recognise themselves in it.

‘Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate’ is a collection about love, nostalgia, hope and regret and about what remains when something beautiful ends up on the other side of the gate.