WhoMadeWho joins forces with Canadian electronic duo Blue Hawaii on dreamy new single “Kiss Me Hard,” the third offering from their upcoming album, Kiss & Forget, to be released on September 13.
Further expanding their ever-flourishing collaborative roster, “Kiss Me Hard” serves as a lush ode to romance and adventure, while offering another taste of the musical range that will be present in their ninth studio LP.
“Kiss Me Hard” is a nostalgia-drenched cut that blossoms through the speakers, blending the allure of Blue Hawaii’s strain of synth-forward indie dance with the WhoMadeWho’s bold electronic textures. Packaged with voicemail samples echoing the heartfelt sentiment of “I wanna go anywhere with you,” the track doubles as an intimate call to romance, adventure, and a night free of the worries of tomorrow. As the melody builds, it mirrors the blooming excitement of an evening that refuses to end, capturing the essence of youthful spontaneity and the joy of living in the moment, an emotion that WhoMadeWho has become masterful at evoking.
“The making of ‘Kiss Me Hard’ was one of the most inspiring creative processes we have been part of. ‘Kiss Me Hard’ was originally called ‘Caribbean Blade’ and was made on tour at a pool in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. We sent the track to Blue Hawaii in early December 2023, hoping for them to add a little flavor to the track. Time went by and we didn’t hear anything. Out of nothing, Ra replied two months later telling us she was vibing with the track. And one day later she sent an amazing melody with the most compelling lyrics. She took the image of the ‘Caribbean Blade’ to another level. I believe everything from her side was written and recorded in that one inspired night at the studio in a moment of universal inspiration. The story will unfold when you listen to the story behind the words and the amazing vocal performance of Ra.” – WhoMadeWho
Following the success of Camelphat’s remix of WhoMadeWho’s “Love Will Save Me” with RY X, “Kiss Me Hard” further heightens anticipation for their forthcoming 9th studio album, Kiss & Forget. The dance music outfit has taken the world by storm with their live tour, which recently snagged them the ‘Best Live Performer’ award at the 2024 Beatport Awards at IMS Ibiza.
“The working song titled ‘Carribean Blade’ inspired the lyrics late one night. A Carribean Leaf Blade is a pocket knife. As soon as I heard the beat from WhoMadeWho I knew we were driving. I had the image of me and a girlfriend hightailing it out of a place where we had never felt our love or existence was supported. The first line that came to me was, ‘Kiss me hard on the mouth and forget; we have the knife now; it’s in my back pocket, babe.’ I sang for the two girls in love who desperately want/need to start a new life where they can shine. Late at night, one of them is in a bong shop and sees a beautiful shining knife in the display case (she’s high), so it sparkles a lot; it’s a Caribbean Leaf Blade. She buys her favorite magazine, National Geographic, cause she likes the pictures and also buys the knife. Then she convinces her girlfriend to leave town with her for good and to see the ocean, which she saw in the magazine, and that they’ll be safe because they have a very special knife. They get out of their shitty town and start driving, and don’t look back. ‘Kiss Me Hard’ is about doing what YOU must, despite all odds.” – Ra / Blue Hawaii
Meanwhile, Blue Hawaii reflects a fusion of 00s dance music and Indie Sleaze while still preserving its deep emotional core. Their journey has seen them release an EP, Blooming Summer, and three studio albums, Untogether, Tenderness, and Open Reduction Internal Fixation, all on Arbutus Records. The first two albums were nominated for the Juno Award for Electronic Album of the Year, cementing their place as one of Canada’s most exciting electronic acts.
“For me, ‘Kiss Me Hard’ has a very unique origin story. Normally, I find long-distance collaborations very difficult and haven’t had much success with it in the past. The complete opposite is true here! From the very beginning, I think this track was meant to happen. Out of all the beats that WhoMadeWho sent over 6 months ago, this one (‘Caribbean Blade’ was the working title) immediately stood out to me as the fit for Blue Hawaii. I didn’t communicate that to Ra, but somehow, half a year later she also picked the same one! It was because of the title too. She then wrote some incredible lyrics and melodies on the original demo beat and sent it over to me. Everything then got moving very quickly. I think this is the key to collaboration, especially when it’s spanning multiple time zones. You still have to move fast, just as if you were in the same room! It was 7 in the morning in Berlin, but I immediately got working on it. I developed the track a little bit by identifying the chorus in Ra’s demo and writing a lead melody in response to it. We were all simultaneously connected through the WhatsApp group and the pace continued rapidly. We sent everything over to WhoMadeWho and they completely reimagined the arrangement, doing new parts and after some more back-and-forth, it blossomed into this! It was such a beautiful and amazing experience because it felt like we were all together somehow but we’ve never met. We’ve been brought together through music alone and I think that’s a beautiful thing in a world that can often have a hard time communicating. To me, that is partly what the song is about: to feel an immediate connection with another person and to realize how important and wonderful it is, but it’s also to remember that we can still feel a connection even when we aren’t right next to each other, and we can create new things from that connection. With love to you from Germany, and Canada!” – Agor / Blue Hawaii
