Brothers Sam and Adam of indie pop band HYYTS (pronounced heights) bring you the upbeat bangers to get you prepped for summer.
I first found HYYTS in November 2021, when they opened for Icelandic Eurovision entry Dadi Freyr at Manchester Academy. Going with my Scottish mum to an underground Icelandic gig was certainly an interesting choice on my part, but also one of the best choices I ever made. As soon as we heard the strong Glaswegian accents, mum was happy and we knew we were in for a fun set.
Full of energy, and working wonders on a crowd who have never heard of them, Adam (vocalist) had us all screaming lyrics back at him after one song, and their upbeat indie pop tracks only kept getting better as the set progressed, and my dancing knocked pints to the floor.
The band hold Glasgow close to their hearts, with tracks like ‘Blue and White’ showing us the much loved Scottish pride we are all familiar with. Being able to hear his accent in each track, Adam uses powerful pop vocals to create songs that you can’t help but sing along to.
With such an overwhelmingly happy sounding instrumentals, the tracks themself often have a slight edge to them, depicting that one love you can’t forget, like a ‘Bad Tattoo.’ However don’t underestimate the boys, one of my personal favourite tracks is their 2019 track ‘Car Crash Carnivore’ which is unlike anything I’ve ever heard before.
Taking a slam poetry form, in a low and natural voice rather than the melodic vocals we are used to, CCC gives its listeners something unique. With elaborate poetic metaphors and almost haunting instrumentals, this track makes you think about your own perspective on achievement and mortality.
‘Dream killer’ gives me that main character reclamation vibe when I’m walking around town, or furiously writing essays in the library. The Elliot Adamson remix gives the song a whole new zest, upping the tempo and getting us dancing.
HYYTS with their EP helluvatime and singles have a song for almost every mood. Getting ready for a night out, crying about the lancscrush you let go, or trying to keep your pace facing the uphill walk to Williamson park.
For those keen fans (or the 16 of us that made it to the Instagram live last year) Adam and Sam actually revealed they were shortlisted to represent the United Kingdom at the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest before Sam Ryder’s entry ‘Space Man’ was released. Thinking about what could have been (alright, I adore Sam Ryder and enjoyed his gig in Manchester last month) to see these boys blow up to global fame seems well deserved.
I will be holding out hope for their Eurovision debut, as well as new music and a tour again soon, keep an eye out on their Instagram
