FANS of stylish alternative pop can say “I was there” this weekend as a hotly tipped duo play three intimate dates in Scotland.
HYYTS, self-described “pop boys from Glasgow”, play the dates to coincide with the release of their debut five-track “EEPEE”, out now on Warner Records.
The major label was wily in snapping up vocalist Adam and musician Sam Hunter. Like dapper Manchester duo Hurts and all-conquering Years & Years, HYYTS make soulful, modernist pop that’s as catchy as it is expressive.
If there’s an element of drama to their output (there is), it suits them – Adam studied musical theatre at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland before he started writing songs with DJ/promoter Sam in 2015. While they share a surname, the pair aren’t related (though apparently they have similar homemade tattoos) but have a friendship going back to childhood.
The pair have lived together in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee, where they played their first gig and recorded EEPEE with producer Gary Clark. The former Danny Wilson frontman began developing the duo on his return to Scotland after years working with musicians in London and Los Angeles.
Expect to hear the steamy Bullet and the anthemic Breaking Into Heaven at their gigs, though they may save a rendition of T.H.I.S.T.L.E, a homage to Partick Thistle, for their return to Glasgow.
“Our whole thing is about subverting opinions, and challenging people about a genre that perhaps they think is mindless,” says Adam. “People will go with you if you’re creative and weird. We got into music because we were misfits and weirdos and we felt like we needed to communicate in a way that we couldn’t do with words. That’s the beautiful thing about what we do, it touches people in a certain way.”
Tonight, Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh; Tomorrow, Church, Dundee; Saturday, The Tunnels, Aberdeen, all 7pm, £8.80.
www.gigsinscotland.com www.facebook.com/hyyts
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