It’s easy to recommend HIGHS at this point in their career: they’ve got a debut feature-length record coming out this April, an apparently incredible live show, and their debut EP sounds like indie pop candy that’d sell like hot cakes if it dropped today.
But of course, that’d be underselling it.
While a lot of their style doesn’t necessarily sound as original now, that’s because they were ahead of the curve in 2013. Their two-part harmonies (which get particularly inventive in Nomads) feel country-influenced, with an air of originality that their peers lack. And songs like Fleshy Bones feel more like Dirty Projectors b-sides than they do Said the Whale.
The first time I heard HIGHS, they reminded me of We Are the City’s debut record, Violent. I did some digging and found out that the two bands toured together for years and are good friends, which makes perfect sense — because of course they are. Their styles are similar: there’s a clear disinterest in status quo and doing what other bands are doing in the genre, and a willingness to experiment a little.
What makes HIGHS interesting is the level of complexity they bring to their music. Unlike many of their contemporaries, they’re not writing pop-punk songs disguised as alternative indie. They’re writing songs with intricate structures, changing tempos, wildly varying energies, and vocal structures that are all divine.
It’s a totally different approach to indie pop: you can’t turn on this record and leave it on in the background and remain undisturbed. The record is a challenging, rewarding listen that feels absolutely vital.
I, for one, cannot wait for HIGHS’ official debut.