British band The Heys have self recorded a debut album of indie pop titled Young Bored & Broke. There’s a sharpness to this band that makes them stand out. The melodies are great. The lyrics are clever: “I wasn’t making eyes at your forteenth pint”. The tempo of the album stays high and focused but with enough variation to keep the listener interested. Think some ground between The Kooks and Oasis. Their influences consist of The Who, The Kinks, The Jam, and The Stones. I’d recommend you check out the tunes below and then lear at their MySpace to find out where you can find the band live!

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Yes, the whole garage thing played out a long time ago. A long time ago in “fad years,” anyway. But there’s something about music played with immediacy and attitude that just doesn’t go out of style.

Being British, the Heys sharpen the garage sound to a fine edge and then provide one hell of a shave. These are songs stripped down to their barest elements: power, melody and electricity.

Oh, and they’re good. The Heys know how to kick out the hooks, and more importantly, these songs are decadent examples of exceptional rhythmic grooves. In other words, shaking your ass is required.

Not the next coming of anything in particular, but awfully tight and refined in such a way as to maximize the pleasure. Just in time for summer.

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The Heys’ debut release, Young, Bored & Broke, has a title that’s a tad misleading. One would think that this album is immaturely fuelled with righteous indignation, that the music transmits a lackadaisical vibe, and, finally, that The Heys are a bunch of martyred, starving musicians. I can’t really vouch for the third implication, not personally knowing these blokes, but judging by the albums’ well-constructed tunes and worldly persona, Young Bored & Broke is far from being “young” and “boring.”

From the digs at instant-gratification-inspired society in the driving “Elbow Culture,” to the Paul Weller-esque, jangly coolness of “Brighten Up My Day,” The Heys present a clean, calculated album. The band hugs its classic rock influences, mainly The Jam and The Kinks, but not too tightly, making the sound inspired but clearly personal. Overall, the album plays with snappy guitar riffs – particularly on the aforementioned “Culture” – thick, resonant basslines and syrupy, accented vocals that fortunately refrain from being at all sweet or too dreary. This album certainly presents an upbeat vibe that’s sure to keep the hipsters’ heads disdainfully nodding.

The main appeal of Young Bored & Broke comes from the fact that The Heys transmit a solid rock and roll energy without acting unbridled and, well, spazzed out and uncouth. There’s something inherently natural about their tunes, which gives the album a compelling sense of order and musicianship; it’s hard to believe this is their first release. “Friday Night” nods to Hard Fi’s tunes, but the guitars are clearer, the production and playing tighter; the overall track is driving, exciting and youthful with great intermittent background harmonies and utterly danceable, dusty riffs.

Young Bored & Broke’s title track is certainly the best on the album. The anthemic tune kicks you right in the teeth with a retro-like driven riff and energized, yet even pace. This homage to crazy nights out and the subsequent evil hangover is far from sonically insane, and singer “Tom’s” suavely accented vocals arch defiantly over the forceful guitars. With cool, matter of fact charm, he throws the chorus right back at the listener without being obnoxious, preachy, or just plain immature. And that seems to squarely describe The Heys; their album title may proclaim youthful heedlessness, but the band present smart, well-composed tunes that more than illustrate their mature musicianship. In other words, don’t judge an album but it’s, uh, title.

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It seems I’ve unintentionally started a movement for The Heys here in Tampa. It began, as most music related things do, with me sending friends links to MySpace pages of bands I like. Usually this results in a response of “Yeah, pretty cool!” or something equivalent. The Heys, however, have led to further follow-up emails along the lines of “I can’t stop listening to these guys!” It seemed only reasonable then that we work with our friends at Planetary Group to get a copy of their debut album Youngbored&broke into the hands of two lucky RockSellout readers!

Even a quick minute with their new album Youngbored&broke will tell you why people are falling in love - The Heys produce Mod-Northern Soul-R&B-Rock with such seeming ease you’d think the guys were born from Paul Weller and Ray Davie’s shared pint at a Gloria Jones show. It’s not timeless in the sense it conjures a specific sound, but it is timeless in the sense it resists a dated sound - this is a fresh take for young Mods looking to let those scratchy old LPs have a breather. And one day Youngbored&broke will sit beside those beloved records, pulled out and played as a testament that good music can harken to a specific sound and a specific time yet still remain fresh for decades afterwards.

With all this in mind, we took the opportunity to ask The Heys a couple questions - some serious, some less so. Find out about the only job worth getting up for, breakfast at Burger King, and what to ask when having a pint with Paul Weller after the jump. And if you’re up for getting a free copy of The Heys Youngbored&broke, then find out what you need to do after the interview!

Part I: We Get Serious:

Keath: How would you describe The Heys to new listeners?

The Heys: Er…That’s hard when you are in it. Try: songs, guitars, voices, beat, honest, direct, uncomplicated, toe-tap, tunes.

Keath: Being in a band: harder than you thought or best job in the world?

The Heys: It’s the only job in the world worth getting up for. Being in a band is the best. It’s the only way of life.

Keath: What was the recording process like? A long slog or quick takes?

The Heys: Definitely quick takes. Doing it over and over again in the studio just sucks the life out of the thing. We rehearsed like fuck and were pretty ruthless with the bits. Then just recorded the vibe.

Keath: Which track off the new album is the most fun to play live?

The Heys: We’ve all got our favourites. And it depends on the night and the mood. Pressure is like riding a motorbike, Scene sums it all up, Elbow Culture is hairs on the back of the neck …

Keath: What is your favorite part of the process - writing, recording, or performing?

The Heys: That’s a hard one too. Without live stuff what’s the point? That’s where you can give it and get it. That’s where you start, its where you buzz. Its immediate. But then without the writing there isn’t any live. And its really mental when you get a new tune. When you have something on your mind you just have to find a way to say it. Or a tune going round and round in your head driving you nuts and you have to try and catch it with your antennae. We used to record in professional studios but it only lead to great expense and disappointment. So we built our own set up in a small cellar with our ‘puter and started having a laugh with it. We wanted to make the best album we could, that sounded like us in surroundings we felt comfortable in. So I guess it depends what your doing at the time ‘cause that’ll be your favourite.

Keath: You’re already doing shows in the UK - will there be a North America tour for the new album too?

The Heys: We really wanna come and play!

Keath: The lyrics are fabulous - snapshots of working class life. Do they spark the music or the other way around?

The Heys: No rules it just depends, sometimes its both. When you get a good tune there doesn’t seem any point wasting the lyrics. But at the same time they have to work and not fuck up the tune. We are not trying to preach or convert. We’re a band. If people wanna think about it then cool, but it still has to be a song. We’re just saying what we see.

Part II: We Get Less Than Serious:

Keath: Would you rather have a pint with Pete Townshend or Paul Weller? Bonus - I’ll buy the round if you tell us the one question you’d most like to ask the one you picked.

The Heys: That’s easy - Paul Weller! Alright Townsend’s in The Who, but he is a bit of a cock. Paul, “That’s a nice shirt, where did you get that from? Its your round”

Keath: Keith Richards - still the coolest man in rock or now just an old geezer wearing scarves with skulls on them?

The Heys: He’s Keith Fookin Richards! He’s in the Rolling Stones! He’s the real deal. The genuine article.

Keath: I never eat at Burger King - do they have a good breakfast? (Note: if you don’t understand this question, listen to the track “Youngbored&broke” at their MySpace page)

The Heys: Too right!

Keath: What’s the one question I should have asked but didn’t?

The Heys: “that’s a nice shirt, where did you get that from? Its my round”

MP3: The Heys - [listen] Pressure

MP3: The Heys - [listen] Fridaynight

Like what you hear? Want a free copy of Youngbored&broke? We’re picking two lucky winners - all you have to do is tell us what question you’d ask The Heys over a pint. Wednesday, we at RockSellout will pick our two favorites from the entries. You don’t have to be super clever or witty, just let us know what you’d like to find out. Good luck!

- Keath (MySpace)

Link to original review.