INTERVIEW: ARMNHMR Talks Upcoming S2O New York Water Festival, Touring, “Gone” Single + More

It’s been a pleasure watching ARMNHMR evolve over the past few years into the powerhouse electronic act they are today. This year has been especially exciting for the talented duo, yet it feels like they’re only just beginning. A major highlight is their upcoming performance at the inaugural S2O New York later this month—an immersive water music festival that’s already sold out of Saturday tickets and two-day passes. The event, which features other notable acts like Marshmello and Subtronics, will also mark the U.S. debut of the world’s biggest Songkran (Thai New Year) celebration, where participants spray water on each other for good luck. Recently, we were fortunate enough to catch up with ARMNHMR for an exclusive Run the Trap interview. We discussed their anticipation for the festival, what it’s like touring together, their latest release “Gone,” and much more. Dive into the interview below, and if you haven’t already, grab the remaining tickets to S2O before they’re gone!

S2O New York Tickets

ARMNHMR has quite the busy summer touring schedule this year! How do you guys best balance everything when on the road? 

Thank you! It’s definitely not easy! Joe and I are early sleepers naturally. We treat our weekdays as sacred time haha. We do our best to be as productive and healthy as we can during the week. 

The summer has been a blast tho! How does it feel to be part of the inaugural S2O New York event, especially considering its reputation as the ‘world’s wettest party’? What unique elements are you bringing to your set to match the immersive and innovative vibe of the festival? 

If you’ve been to an ARMNHMR show before, then you definitely know we like to make it a party! Haha. We’re west coast boys and are bringing that vibe to NYC 

S20 has a rich history of celebrating Asian culture through their events. As Asian-American artists performing at the first S2O festival in the U.S., how do you see this event contributing to the representation and integration of Asian cultural elements in the American electronic music scene? 

We think, as Asians ourselves, the Asian community has a huge voice within the overall EDM community itself. We’ve noticed over the years that Asians have found community in the melodic bass scene. Now it’s hard to separate the two from one another. 

You recently dropped “Gone” with PASSPORT and KELIZA. What does this particular release mean to the ARMNHMR project, and why has it felt like the perfect song to end your sets with lately? 

Yes! It’s been a bit of a departure from what people know us for. We also wanted ARMNHMR to be something universal to the people. Joe and I have always been fan of house since day 1 and I think “Gone” is just one facet of the overall ethos of ARMNHMR. As far as with ending with “Gone”, we always want to leave an impression when we’re done. It’s a song about hope, and we wanted that feeling as our final send off. 

You’re best known for your melodic music, but we also love seeing you drop heavy bangers during sets. How do you balance playing these different genres, and what’s your relationship like with heavier styles of EDM? 

The hardest part is making sure we don’t play too many headbangers! We love to headbang with our fans. It’s also something we’ve developed over time. We’ve been in the bass scene since the beginning so of course we’re going to make it a rager haha. 

We saw you crush that ARMNHMR secret handshake at Beyond Wonderland. What are some other duo rituals you do before or after performances? 

Oh the handshake has been something we’ve refined for a long time haha. Definitely stretching! We’re starting to get old and random things are hurting now. We’ll normally just be doing that routine right before. We both our own different mannerisms to get us into the right headspace. 

You’ve accomplished a lot in your careers so far. What’s next on the ARMNHMR bucket list, and what would you like to accomplish that you haven’t yet? 

To be honest, we just want to take this ship as far as it can go. We know how blessed we are to be in this position. As far as bucket lists go, I know a Joe and I would love to be able tour more often outside of North America (especially Asia and Europe)

INTERVIEW: ARMNHMR Talks Upcoming S2O New York Water Festival, Touring, “Gone” Single + More