On their new single “Born 2 Love,” Fime refine their blend of pop punk and dream pop for a widescreen shoegaze anthem.

The Los Angeles-located band made a splash with their 2019 EP Sprawl, establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with, nimbly moving between throaty punk and reverb-drenched bliss.

Led by the songwriting team of Maxine Garcia and Beto Brakmo, the duo’s vision is realized with the help of drummer and multi-instrumentalist Eric Promani and former Jerome’s Dream/Sea Wolf guitarist Scott Leahy.

The top of 2020 saw Garcia and Brakmo join Jay Som’s live band, all set to embark on a world tour in support of Melina Duterte’s latest, Anak Ko, when halfway through their Japan dates the world came to a grinding halt.

Returning home with months of plans laid to waste, the two began to hatch plans for a proper Fime album. They spent the rest of the year holed up at their shared house with Duterte, determined to make a record that had nothing to do with the ensuing pandemic.

“Born 2 Love” is the first preview of those fruitful sessions, and what an offering it is. The band explain that, “after so much time of writing pretty intense introspective heavy songs we just wanted to make a sweet love song,” and the starry-eyed slab of dreamrock they’ve conjured up is the perfect summer swan song.

Muted and overdriven guitars flicker over a muffled drum machine before the song bursts to life, with Garcia and Beto harmonizing the titular refrain over an instantly memorable guitar hook.

With Duterte behind the boards once again, it’s clear that the biggest shift between their last EP and this single is the songwriting. The vocal performances are more confident, there’s just enough surprises to keep you plugged in, and the tones are gloriously lush.

The nostalgic visual pulls together footage from various tours, including the unfortunately short run with Jay Som. It comes on the heels of their performance for Bachelor’s Doomin’ Sun Fest, in which the LA group previewed more new material. After hearing “Born 2 Love,” we’re all excitedly waiting for the next Fime release.