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Aced Magazine Reviews The Heys

According to Ace…

Indie rock band, The Heys, have released their debut album, youngbored&broke. The UK band has maintained an indie sound by building their own recording studio in a basement. Their studio also keeps the the four guys and their music less corporately connected and away from the dogmatic industry producers.

The Internet has been a fantastic outlet for The Heys, as their music has been featured on independent podcasts and radio stations.

youngbored&broke blends both classic and modern rock. Certain tracks, like “Pressure”, make it hard to believe that The Heys are a band from the 2000s, and not the late 1970s. Although the music itself does have a classic rock feel, the lyrics are very modern, mentioning prominent issues in todays world, like obesity.

For a debut album, from a band who has kept themselves out of the professional recording studio, youngbored&broke is well put together. There is never a point where the sound gets sloppy; every single track stays in uniform and flows very nicely.

Link to the original review.

The Heys Featured In The Houston Press

The Heys have been featured in the Houston Press. Specifically, their Houstoned Rocks Music Blog. Here’s the link – The Heys in the Houston Press

Here’s what they had to say:

The Heys make no effort to conceal their love of the music that influenced them. Their debut “Youngbored&broke” will inevitably see some comparisons to Arctic Monkeys, which isn’t too far off base: The Heys have the same melodic sense, much of the same muscle and something of the same energy. The difference is that the Heys sound grown-up, if not a little bit grizzled.

So far as influences, one of the most evident is Damon Albarn’s on frontman Tom Flynn (see the anthemic “Brightenupmyday.”) Aside from this and Pete Townshend’s stamp on almost all guitar lines, The Jam may have the most tangible influence here. However, The Heys have too much interest in their guitars to ever be pure missionaries of blue-eyed soul, so the Paul Weller lineage has to do with the huge power-pop hooks and the veneer of cynicism that causes this record to shine. “Elbowculture,” a sharp-edged lament of a selfish society, is the lynchpin of this interpretation, while “Pressure” is an attack aimed at wasteful, empty nights and the ways we choose to try to dodge internalized turmoil. It’s not Rimbaud, but it’s honest, and its “ch-ch-changes” inspired yarn over heavy bass and OkGo-on-steroids guitars is irresistible.

In fact, what soon becomes apparent is that The Heys have studied and assimilated the whole of infectious Britpop: the wide open chord-riffing that opens the title track recalls Pulp, as do many of the lyrical themes (though it should be noted that Flynn, cognizant of the perils of trying to be Jarvis Cocker, avoids melodrama). When the band gets light-hearted, they can lay out sunny vocal harmonies and bouncy, hand-clapping bridges right alongside Supergrass (“Don’t,” “Getiton,” “Scene”). They avoid the moody ways of Oasis (though they come close on “Fridaynight”) and embrace the bittersweet sneer of London Suede (“Arms&legs,”“Hey”) while managing to inject the album with their own ripped power-pop (“Itain’tWotusay,” the shimmering ballad “Breakdown”).

The lyrics can edge toward heavy-handedness, but the heart is most definitely in the right place. If The Heys are just borrowing ideas to bide the time, they’ll be gone by next year. But if what we’re dealing with here is an upwardly mobile band, all hell could break loose the next time these guys enter the studio. – Chris Henderson

The Heys Featured On Indie Launchpad

The Heys have been featured on Indie Launchpad (indielaunchpad.com) with a great review of their new album “youngbored&broke”.

Here’s what they had to say:

In all the years I’ve been heavily into music, there have been a few defining moments, that I can look back on and say, that was a good time in music history. For instance when Guns and Roses released the album Appetite for Destruction, or Nirvana released the album Nevermind. In the 90’s the Brit pop wars saw great albums from Blur, Oasis, Dodgy and the Verve. Whilst there’s been many albums since, there hasn’t been anything that really evoked that same kind of feeling. Until now.

I first came across The Hey’s via MySpace. The usual too and fro occurred and a week or so later, I popped the disk into my CD player and was soon blown away. There’s a rawness that is all too easy to compare to Oasis, and a sense of pop that is easily to lay at Blur’s feet, but there is also something else there, something that quite frankly I wasn’t expecting. To put this into context, I play many, many albums, but it’s not often I feel both exhausted and elated at listening to one in it’s entirety. Straight out of the gate with “Fridaynight”, it’s hard not to want to move, stamp feet, or bash the steering wheel on the car, as if you’re a virtual drummer in the band. For me though, one of the real defining tunes is “Elbowculture”, with that hint of laddish youth, that brings back memories of my own youth, going out on the pull, drinking quantities of alcohol, that now quite frankly would have me talking to the great white telephone for an age, and playing the latest Sega Genesis and SNES games. Yes I know, I have dated myself terribly, but hey, some of that reckless youth, still lurks somewhere deep within.

The relentless pace continues with “Pressure” which rolls over you like a wave of electricity, jolting ever neuron in you brain. After such a strong start, it’s nice that the album balances up and takes a breather with “Brightenupmyday”. To move between two extremes is something of a gamble, that doesn’t always work out, here though there’s a common thread that weaves between all the tracks, fast or slow. At the beginning of title track “youngbored&broke”, it kept threatening to break out into “Since You’ve Been Gone” by Rainbow. OK maybe that’s just my jaded view, but I just love how just a few bars can evoke those kinds of flashbacks.

With 14 tracks, it’s a really difficult album not to go through track by track and disseminate, but there’s really no need. This really is an album that comes along once in a blue moon. I’d love it if this marked the resurgence of British dominance, but this time in the indie scene. I’ve nothing but good words to say about every one of the tracks on this album. I left this album with a sense of sheer excitement and just cannot wait to see where the bands goes next.

On a final note, I would love to go to a gig where the band was playing, as I have no doubt that sheer electricity of the album would be amplified greatly seeing them perform live. The dogs bollocks, make no mistake.

Conclusion : I’ve made no secret in the podcast, that this is one absolutely phenomenal album. If this isn’t a band destined for great things, then there’s no justice in the world. Regardless of who you’re a fan of, if you like good rock and pop, this is a must have in your collection…. yes I’m talking to you. Pick up a copy NOW!

The Heys On Nervecast Radio

Nervecast Radio has added The Heys to their playlist. Check them out at nervetonic.org and give them a listen.

The Heys MP3s Now Available For Download

The Heys new CD “youngbored&broke” which debuted in stores yesterday, is now available for download here at 4westrecords.com. Visit the MP3 section for 99 cent downloads of each album track or download the entire album for only $9.99. Check it out…

Debut CD From The Heys In Stores April 29th!

The debut CD from Brit rockers The Heys – “youngbored&broke” – is due in stores on April 29th.

The self-produced album was recorded underground in their basement studio in the UK. “This way it’s all about the music” says Tom. “We wanted an honest direct sound and we wanted to be in control so we did it ourselves”.

Pre-order is now online here at 4westrecords.com or on amazon.com.

4 New Videos Posted From The Heys

Hipster alert! 4 new videos have been posted from The Heys – Pressure, Friday Night, Scene, and youngbored&broke. Posted on YouTube as well as the 4 West video section. Check them out.

The Heys Move Up To #136 On The CMJ Music Chart

The Heys album “youngbored&broke” has moved up to # 136 on the CMJ Top 200 Chart this week!

Schiller’s Prologue CD hits stores today.

The 4 West Records re-issue of Schiller’s “Prologue” CD hits stores today with beautiful new more environmentally friendly digipack packaging.

The Heys To Be Featured On The Hollister And Abercrombie & Fitch Websites

Hollister Co. and Abercrombie & Fitch will be using music from The Heys on their websites. Look for cover art, audio, and links. Exact dates have yet to be determined.