Ariana Grande's masterful 2018 album Sweetener includes a song called "R.E.M." Mike Mills, bassist for the legendary alt-rock band R.E.M., found this amusing. His laughter became slightly more anxious and perturbed when Grande made R.E.M. the name of her cosmetics and fragrance line. And when that company released a product line in a box designed to look like a cassette tape, Mills decided it was time to respond.
Enter Howl Owl Owl, Mills' new supergroup with Darius Rucker (of Hootie + The Blowfish and country solo stardom) and drummer Steve Gorman of the Black Crowes. The band announced their existence last month, and today they've shared their debut single, "My Cologne." In a video posted to Instagram, Mills runs through the song's backstory and misidentifies "R.E.M." as Sweetener’s lead single. (C'mon Mike, everyone knows that was "No Tears Left To Cry," Grande's crowning achievement.)
The chorus to "My Cologne" goes like so: "I want to smell like Ariana Grande, and I think she wants you to smell like me." Hear it below, where you'll also find Mills' video explaining it.
