ARMNHMR Discuss New 'Waiting For Love' EP and Accompanying Tour

ARMNHMR took the time to chat with us about their brand new EP, Waiting For Love, and getting back out on the road.

California-based duo ARMNHMR, consisting of Joseph Chung and Joe Abella, has captured hearts and grown a devoted fanbase through their beautiful productions. In February of 2020, they released their debut album The Free World, and then the pandemic brought the world to a halt. Tours stopped, venues closed, and suddenly everything artists knew was taken away from them. For ARMNHMR, this time allowed them to turn inward and reflect.

“The pandemic was a weird time for all of us in general. Live entertainment/music got hit pretty hard. In many ways, it also gave us artists a chance to slow down and recalibrate,” they said. “Personally, we’ve spent so many years being run-and-gun that we forgot about what balance really was. For us, it led to some sort of forced period of introspection and reflection.“

From this introspection came their latest release, Waiting For Love, a five-track EP out now on Monstercat. Written during their journey through the pandemic and isolation, Waiting For Love is extremely personal and is offered as a love letter to their fans who also faced emotional challenges and loneliness over the course of the past two years.

The album was written at the tail end of the pandemic, during a period of intense fluctuations in the world. What we thought would be the end of our careers oddly enough led to a breakout. We participated in several live streams and even had a show of our own – ‘Infinite Skies.’ Each song on ‘Waiting For Love’ was meant to embody that rollercoaster journey.
ARMNHMR

The EP opens with its title track featuring vocals from neverwaves. Filled with elements that capture ARMNHMR’s sound – builds that cascade into cinematic drops, and emotionally-charged lyrics – “Waiting For Love” is moving and the perfect way to kick things off.

“‘Waiting For Love’ is a message about trust and patience. Sometimes we get lost in our own fantasies of how love should find us,” they explained. “It’s a song about putting faith not only in yourself, but in the people that come in and out of your life. Sometimes we become so entrenched in authoring our own ending, that more often than not, love eventually finds us in the most unexpected moments.”

The EP also features previously released singles “Saving Lives” featuring Bella Renee and “Falling Apart” featuring RUNN, as well as two new tracks “Can’t Let You Go” with Abandoned featuring RYNN and “Lonely Nights” with Synymata and Medyk. In the midst of other projects, Waiting For Love was one that the duo would come back to and refine before its release.

“We really wanted to emphasize the organic process on ‘Waiting For Love.’ It was an on-and-off period, but every time we revisited it, we’d hear it back with a newer/fresher perspective. Eventually, the tracks evolved into what they are now, and we couldn’t be happier with how they came out,” they added. “‘Falling Apart’ and ‘Waiting For Love’ from a songwriting perspective got us excited. We both listen to music outside of EDM and really wanted to combine our worlds. It was exciting being able to incorporate live elements.“

Each track features a vocalist or collaborator that helps carry this love letter for their fans. ARMNHMR is known for calling on some of the best to elevate their productions and this is especially important with something as vulnerable as this EP. Safe to say, they succeed in crafting another beautiful body of work that also sees them growing as artists.

Each track on ‘Waiting For Love’ holds a special place in our hearts in their own unique way. That post-pandemic period was as painful as it was beautiful. The entire album was a chance for us to try something different. The writing process was a seamless experience. We’re fans of many of the vocalists we work with in general and they were perfect fits. Initially we’d send them an idea and build the song around them. We wanted them to feel a part of the song so the emotion translates.
ARMNHMR

To accompany the EP, ARMNHMR are now out on their largest headlining tour to date. The Waiting For Love Tour started in January and will make its way across the US through April. Being able to travel and play their music out to fans is a welcome return for them, especially after restrictions the music industry faced over the pandemic.

“It feels absolutely amazing [to be back on the road]! We were one of the last industries to fully return, and for a short period of time, it felt as if we were left out. It was a very sobering reminder that what we do is unique and could be taken from us at any moment. We definitely don’t take it for granted and have been loving connecting through music again,” they said.

When asked about something surprising they hadn’t realized they missed about being on tour, they brought it back to their fans. The collective journey experienced during the time of separation bound them together even more, making this tour that much more special.

“As far as something surprising… how much our fan base has evolved since our ‘Infinite Skies’ stream,” they said. “We also hit cities we’ve never played before this time around. Being able to hear the stories and connections made because of our music made the bonds even stronger. It’s easy to get lost in your head in a world of social media, so being able to hear how we’ve touched our fans was something we always appreciated but never knew we missed.“

This year is already off to a great start for ARMNHMR. As they relish in the afterglow of Waiting for Love and reconnect with fans on their tour, their eyes are up, focused on the future, and continuing to awe us with releases.

“As far as 2022 goes, we’re excited for the new opportunities we’ve yet to announce,” they said. “We’re currently touring ‘Waiting For Love’ and it’s awesome to see the growth as we head into the next phase of ARMNHMR. As of now, we’ve been focusing our attention on building a large collection of new music. Until then, who knows?“