Anyone clued into the indie scene of the noughties will likely have encountered the Mae Shi, the outfit which delivered a blend of art rock, punk, pop and electronic sensibilities bundled up in a manic, madcap intensity, culminating with acclaimed Biblical full-length HLLLYH in 2008. The project has been through various stages of hiatus in intervening years, but now founding member Tim Byron has rounded up the original cast for a new album, URUBURU. Only when Jeff Byron, Ezra Buchla, Brad Breeck and Corey Fogel got together, the result felt less like the last chapter of the Mae Shi and more like a fresh beginning. Hence a new name—HLLLYH.
Described as “an end-of-the-world story written on a mobius strip,” URUBURU shows HLLLYH have hit the ground running, displaying no let up from the infectiously inventive sound that won the Mae Shi so many admirers. “Built from bright colors and loud sounds, it is a puzzle to be solved written in English, Morse code, and machine language,” as the band write of the record. “It tells several interconnected stories of punk house party disasters, young monsters in love, space travel gone wrong, adventures in other dimensions, showdowns with malevolent forces, and the never ending quest for meaning.”
Lead single ‘Dead Clade’ not only introduces these various thematic strands but also the buoyant energy with which HLLLYH approach them. An apocalyptic anthem dedicated to a variety of ending worlds which has nevertheless decided it wants to live. “We’ll sleep when the sun comes up / sleep when our bodies give up,” as the opening verse promises, filled with the energy of new beginnings. “Cuz our time’s not unlimited / we’ve got a moment to make it count.”
we came, we saw, we we burned it down
turned every single hydrant on
and every pane on every store was broken by the dawnwe’re not special, we’re just what’s left
we’re not chosen, we’re a dead clade
URUBURU is out on the 27th June via Team Shi and you can pre-order it from the HLLLYH Bandcamp page.
