Beatbeat Whisper Grows Up and Plays On

Siblings Ayla and Davyd Nereo keep few boundaries between them. As they answer questions in chorus, it’s easy to imagine their childhood in California’s sylvan Sonoma County, sharing the family piano and the “y” in their names. Both have other projects, but commenced their “co-creative process” one rainy evening to begin bearing tender fruits of free-folk on their family tree. They became Beatbeat Whisper soon after, when the name popped into Ayla’s head. “Serene! Boss!” Davyd said. Band consensus, just like that.

Ayla grew up worried she was tone deaf, so she rarely sang in front of anyone—even her brother. But her concerns couldn’t have been less founded. These days, one sibling’s voice never leaves the other without harmony for long, and their blend sounds natural enough to be a joint birthright. The aptly titled “And Suddenly Apart Was Shared,” from sophomore album Wonder Continental, begins with a thanksgiving round the Nereos sang as kids, then tumbles into Beatbeat’s brand of winding folk and prosodic storytelling. “If one progression becomes another, becomes another,” goes their songwriting logic, “and suddenly the song is finished and we never went back to a ‘chorus’... well, guess that’s how it has to be!”

Listen to Beatbeat Whisper on the band's MySpace page.