MY-HI about their Studio Sessions with Alex Gordon
"We want to play in as many Cities as possible!"
I recently got to know MY-HI through my friends at Memphia Music. After briefly introducing the Brighton-based band in my May playlist, I now had the chance to sit down with them for an interview.
Besides their brilliant new song, "Phaser ", and their tour plans, we also talked about the band's collaboration with Alex Gordon (The Cure, Blood-Red Shoes, The Xcerts), their tour plans and life in general.
Anne: Hi! It's so good to have you! How are you doing today?
MY-HI: We are doing well, thank you!
Anne: Congrats on your new single, "Phaser"! I love it. It's brilliant! Is it one of your favourite pieces you've recorded so far?
MY-HI: It is one of our favourites! We love all our singles, but the reception Phaser has received has been amazing!
Anne: You recorded "Phaser" at Brighton Electric Studios with Alex Gordon (The Cure, Blood-Red Shoes, The Xcerts). What an honour to work with him. How was it?
"Working with Alex is great!"
MY-HI: Working with Alex was great; we have known him for years, and his talent precedes him! He makes the whole process easy and straightforward, and it really is just working with a mate, which is truly relieving when recording.
Anne: With your track, you are lyrically exploring the concept of societal pressure: The constant pressure to perform, stand out among the crowd, and be the best version of ourselves. What do you think? Why is it that our fast-moving world is so performance-driven and objective? I mean, on the one hand, it seems everyone always has to deliver and be like the perfect "human machine", but on the other hand, everything stays on the surface somehow, does it?
MY-HI: These days, everyone shares everything online, their lives, what they are doing at any given moment, a perfect snapshot of a life they want people to see. You don't see what's behind the caption or the photo. It almost creates competition in the world, who has the most perfect life, and it's created a superficial world with a minute attention span. So if you can't capture someone's attention in 30 seconds, they move on. It is sad to see, but the world we must learn to live in.
Anne: You released "Phaser" four weeks ago. Are there more songs coming up? An album?
"We may have some new songs coming up soon!"
MY-HI: Well, earlier, you mentioned recording with Alex Gordon. There may or may not have been a couple more sessions with Alex, and there may or may not be a number of songs in the works.
Anne: That's big news! I'm really looking forward to listening to some more new MY-HI material soon! When you sit down to write some music and lyrics, what would you say inspires you the most?
MY-HI: Musically, everyone in the band has similar but different musical influences and those influences really shine through our songs. At any given moment, you may hear an impact from the Ramones and the Foo Fighters with a bit of Queens of the Stone Age. Several things influence our lyrics. Dan primarily comes up with the lyrics, and personal matters or world events can influence these.
Anne: You formed MY-HI in 2017 and evolved, being supported by the BBC, and loads of magazines, playing slots at some of the best festivals in Britain. Having so much success over your first years as a band must feel huge. Would you say it formed you?
MY-HI: Going from strength to strength is definitely in our best interest. We work hard at what we do, and we put in the hours. Having support and acknowledgement from these different avenues is very satisfying. We can't thank everyone for the massive support so far! It fuels the fire to grow, get better, and give people the best we have.
Anne: What has changed since you first played a gig together in 2017?
MY-HI: Our band line-up has changed since that first gig back in 2017. That's a pretty big change, with the last change to the line-up being in 2021. The band has absolutely matured with age and the music. We're trying to hit as many cities as possible, trying to play as many shows as possible and really pushing it to make some noise on the scene!
Anne: What do your future plans look like? We would really love to see you live over here on the continent!
"We want to play abroad!"
MY-HI: We have a Live Lounge booked in with BBC Introducing Sussex on July 6th. We have a little tour booked for the end of July (more details to come), and we are busy behind the scenes, maybe getting something new ready for the airwaves. We want to make it out of the UK, too, it is definitely in the plans, and if you want to see us, we'll make it over to you too!
Anne: Amazing! We are looking forward to seeing you on stage!
If there was one thing in the world you could choose to change—regardless of money and effort—what would it be and why?
MY-HI: One amazing thing, and it is very cliché, but peace and love in the world would be great. Everything happening in Ukraine, for example, is horrific, the slavery that goes unseen, the hate on your doorstep. Some love for each other and to recognize that we have one life, one world, and we should work together! That would be incredible!