Central Heat Exchange are a bit of supergroup, featuring members from Living Hour, Daphne Tunes, Varsity, and Pool Holograph. On top of that, the band worked with a variety of additional collaborators including members of Sun June, Lala Lala, and Fran. After they announced their debut self-titled album with the lead single “Directly Down,” they’re returning today with the follow-up “Almost to You,” which feels like if Hovvdy sat down with Neutral Milk Hotel to write a glimmering track about human connection.
Santiago RD reveals that “Almost to You” is about “that fleeting period of time when you’re getting to the next stage of knowing someone beyond the surface. It’s that moment when you aren’t close enough to ask them about their secrets, but you don’t feel like just asking about their day really cuts it anymore. I wrote it during a time when I felt eager to know my online friends as well as I knew my real life friends—there’s this weight that comes with the confidence of feeling like you really could be a good match. You’re already so close in many ways, sharing mutual interests and affections, and yet you’re still strangers in so many ways. In transitioning to the breakdown-esque ending, it begs the question of ‘Do we really, really know the people in our life?'”
