Hey, ily!

Born of Caleb Haynes’ (vocals, guitar) love of Super Smash Bros. and just a little too much time on his hands, Hey, Ily! (aloud: hey, i love you!) began as a bedroom power-pop project combining elements of chiptune, screamo, ska, and hyperpop to forge and release their debut EP, (/ _ ; ), via rat’s nest tapes. The project quickly expanded in notoriety and size, amassing four new members – Skyy Haman (synth), Conner Haman (drums), Stephen Redmond (bass), Trevin Baker (guitar) – and a devoted following to see through their breakout, Internet Breath, released via Lonely Ghost records mere months after its predecessor. Hey, Ily! is a band that proves three important things: that a whole is not simply the sum of its parts – the project has drawn on countless different influences and genres while creating something entirely unique –, that there is no combination of genres too ridiculous to produce good music, and that indie and emo have not yet found themselves stagnant. Hey, Ily! is a project that, while incredibly niche in its genre descriptors and indeed in its sound, can and does appeal to vast and diverse audiences while exposing all of them to something new. Hey, Ily! is the harbinger of the future of music: Music that is innovative, music that is thoughtful and powerful while still fast-paced enough to mosh to, and most of all music that is made with and to spread love.