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Photo Credit: Liam McKeon

To celebrate her new EP “afterparty,” we asked dream-pop princess april june to break it down track by track. From drawing inspiration from film to exposing her most vulnerable thoughts, the 6 track collection evokes a visceral reaction from the very first moment. It’s disorienting in the most relatable way, mirroring the haziness of navigating the ending of a draining relationship. april june tells us every detail in 10 questions (and even tries to tell us her favorite David Lynch film): 

OnesToWatch: How did you decide on “afterparty” capturing the overall essence of this project? 

april june: I liked the idea of the afterparty as a metaphor for the emotional state you’re in when the storm has passed — when everything still feels tender but more contemplative. That strange in-between state after something intense has ended. The project lives in that space: the dust has barely settled, the makeup’s smudged, you’re walking home at dusk, thinking about the past. “afterparty” just felt like the perfect word for the emotional reckoning the whole EP circles around.

“afterparty,” the title track, is groovy but sad at the same time. Tell us about making this song and marrying those two conflicting emotions throughout this EP. 

I’ve always wanted to make music that you can both cry and dance to. There’s something that feels oddly natural about singing of heartbreak over a beat that makes you want to move your body. Actually, when I began writing afterparty, it was way slower and more ballad-like, but once I sped it up, the song became more alive.

“lost highway” obviously draws inspiration from the David Lynch film, tell us how you incorporate references while keeping the music personal. 

I love the image of the highway at night in Lynch’s films — it’s such a perfect metaphor for longing for something that doesn’t exist anymore. There’s this feeling of emotional anguish and the desire for something just beyond your grasp, something you can’t quite understand. Driving down the lost highway feels like being trapped in a loop of your own memories and emotions. That imagery really stayed with me. In the song, I tried to translate that sense of endless searching and being lost into sound.

The production on “went to bum a cigarette” is so layered and full, walk us through the creative process of this one specifically. 

“went to bum a cigarette” is an ode to going out in Madrid — those hot, balmy nights where you lose your friends at the club, end up smoking outside with strangers, and everything feels a little blurry. I knew I wanted to make a track that felt playful and dance-y, but also a bit distorted and raw. The production mirrors that — it’s layered and messy, but I think it captures that feeling of being slightly detached from reality for one night.

“walking home at 5 am” is such a perfect way to end this EP. Tell us about how you put together your track listing, does it tell a story?

There’s a bit of a timeline running through this EP — from the first moments of a loud party to the final act of heading home. “walking home at 5 am” comes from a real memory: I was biking home after saying goodbye to someone I had a crush on. I remember someone suddenly screaming at me, and it scared me — it truly felt like I was completely alone outside. The early-morning quiet can be hypnotizing; it’s when thoughts and feelings feel at their most intense and poetic. Ending the EP there felt like the right kind of closure.

This project touches on romantic obsession in such a raw way, what were you going through when making it? Where do you draw inspiration from besides film?

I’m inspired by relationships where everything that happens feels like it could be a scene from a movie. It’s always a mystery why we fall in love with certain people, and I never grow tired of writing about longing.

What was the process of making the “lost highway” music video? 

Kelli and I spent the day wandering around Prospect Park and Green-Wood Cemetery. It was very improvisational — we were looking for cinematic spots, tombstones, and sculptures. I loved how Kelli would notice the way the sun hit the water or filtered through the trees at certain moments. We’d shoot in those fleeting moments.

Favorite movies to watch during October? 

Autumn Tale (Conte d’automne), Hannah and Her Sisters, and Frances Ha. And Phenomena by Dario Argento when it gets closer to Halloween. 

Favorite Lynch film?

Literally impossible to choose — each film exists in its own rich, self-contained world. I’m in love with the wild energy and love-driven chaos of Wild at Heart, the mystery and fragile beauty of Mulholland Drive (the “Llorando” scene in the theatre lives in my head rent-free), and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve rewatched Twin Peaks. And if you ever want to be truly terrified, there’s Rabbits.

Who are your OnesToWatch? 

Honestly, I just want Lana to drop the new album — even if the final name ends up being “Stove.” I don’t care, I just want to hear it.