The premise for “We Can Be Friends” stems from an inside joke shared by Secret Monkey Weekend’s Jefferson Hart and Lila Brown-Hart. “We based it off our childhood friendships with other kids in our neighborhoods,” says Brown-Hart, the band’s drummer. “It’s kind of an amalgamation of experiences from a kid who grew up in the 21st century and one who grew up in the mid-20th century.”
Once little more than way to repair broken feelings, Secret Monkey Weekend is now the legitimate indie-rock byproduct of a blended family. A veteran of the North Carolina music scene, Hart had played in bands with Lila’s father, Matt Brown, who passed away suddenly in 2012. Lila was just four when Hart started teaching guitar to her older sister Ella, making an enduring connection with their mom, Laura.
A decade later, Hart and his two stepdaughters were recording their debut album, All The Time In The World, with venerable jangle-rock producer Don Dixon. Their story was also the subject of an Emmy-winning PBS documentary. After some more time in the studio with Dixon, Secret Monkey Weekend is set to self-release Lemon Drop Hammer on June 6. “We Can Be Friends” is the latest single from that new batch of tunes.
“The song is full of likes and loves from our respective childhoods,” says Hart. “We sat across from each other and wrote the lyrics based on it all. I came up with the music shortly after.”
We’re proud to premiere Secret Monkey Weekend’s “We Can Be Friends.”
—Hobart Rowland
See Secret Monkey Weekend live.
