After making some serious waves with their hotly-tipped studio album ‘Trespass’ in 2022, Italian duo Go Hawaii quickly found themselves as one of the more admired outfits in the indie-pop sphere. And after a few years to figure out their next move, they recently returned to deliver their vibrant new single ‘Auburn’.
So with the new single out and about, we joined them in conversation to find out more about their origins and what they have planned for the future as well.
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Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you got started in music?
We both started studying music when we were teenagers as a classic after-school hobby, taking guitar and singing lessons. After a while we decided to try to start a band, at first we played some covers but our dream was always to write our music. We played with many other musicians, sometimes someone would leave the band and someone else would join. The project evolved a lot over the years, especially when changes in the lineup happened.
Who are your biggest musical influences and how have they shaped your sound?
Our biggest musical influences come from the bands that have defined dream pop and bedroom pop, from the 2010s. That era and those sounds spoke to us on a deeply emotional level, translating complex feelings into something tangible, music as the language of the heart.
These influences shape our sound by inspiring us to craft atmospheres that evoke melancholy and nostalgia. Those emotions are central to what we create. They’re always present in our work, and we want them to stay with us as a defining element of our music. It’s about building a space where listeners can feel as deeply as we do.
Was there a specific moment or experience that made you decide to pursue music seriously?
There wasn’t a single, defining moment that made us decide to pursue music seriously. It was more of an organic process. We started writing one song at a time, driven by a deep need to channel our creativity. Music became a therapeutic outlet, a way for us to process and express emotions that might otherwise remain bottled up.
Every time we write, we tap into this almost urgent desire to create, to translate our feelings into sound. It’s a process that’s fulfilling and almost addictive. It’s what keeps us doing this day after day, and every time we try to do it with a little more competence.
Can you walk us through your typical songwriting process?
We start by writing a simple riff with one of our instruments, usually the guitar or synth, sometimes the bass. We like to iterate through different riffs until we find the one that makes our heads turn. There is no science behind the way we choose, just guts.
Then there is the crafting phase, where we build the structure, tweak the sounds, and everything else. This part feels more like an artisan working with his material, stopping and coming back until he reaches the moment when it feels just right. It can take as little as a couple of hours to a whole month, but we learned that the less we take the better the outcome is.
How do you find inspiration for your music and lyrics?
For our music, inspiration often comes from immersing ourselves in what’s happening around us. We make a point to listen to emerging acts, exploring new interpretations of our genre, and seeing how the sound evolves. Sometimes, we also like to take a step back and revisit music from the 90s or delve into less mainstream scenes from that era.
As for the lyrics, they’re deeply personal. They often reflect moments or situations we’re going through that leave a strong impression on us. Things like the struggle of finding ourselves, trying to fit into the world, or navigating relationships. A lot of it is drawn from those harder, more introspective times, especially feelings of sadness or even states of depression.
What themes or messages do you hope listeners take away from your music?
We don’t really have a specific message we want to send with our music. For us, it’s more about being a soundtrack to people’s personal, intimate moments. Whether it’s driving in the car, sitting in the bedroom, heading to school or work, we just want our music to accompany those experiences and make them feel a little more meaningful. That’s all we aim for.
What challenges have you faced as an emerging artist in the music industry?
We believe that the main challenge today is getting heard. The evolutions in music and distribution technology made it so many more artists can release music, and there is something new every day. We are thankful because we are amongst those who benefited more from it, but at the same time, as an emerging artist, it feels like you need to fight through every single listener.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of your musical journey so far?
The most rewarding part of our journey has been seeing how far our music has travelled. Knowing that our songs are being streamed in a clothes shop in Peru, played on the radio in Mexico, or in a club in Japan, it’s incredible. What’s even more surprising is seeing fans from all over the world connecting with and enjoying our music.
That global reach, and the thought that our sound is part of someone’s life in a completely different corner of the world, is both humbling and deeply satisfying.
How do you stay true to yourself and your artistry in a constantly evolving industry?
In this phase of our musical career, staying true to ourselves is simply a choice. We don’t have to deal with complicated situations yet, so it’s just a matter of not building a false image of ourselves just to please social media or fool Spotify algorithms.
Getting to the point where making music is our full-time job would be amazing, but we want to keep it something that we do because we like it and not because we have to be successful at all costs.
What can fans expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming projects or tours?
The next big thing is our new EP, which comes out on January 10th. We are also already working on new tracks, so you can expect something later in 2025.
Where do you see yourself and your music career in the next five years?
Keeping it real.
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Listen to Go Hawaii’s new single ‘Auburn’ below.
