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Photo by Trent Wayne

hey, nothing have been one of those bands that you feel cool knowing about, sort of a little secret you’ll try and hold on to, knowing full well they’ll be blowing up much sooner than later. In just a few years, the Athens duo have gone from the emotional honesty of their Maine EP to their new full length record, Hound out today, an incredible album that takes the foundation of those early songs and blows it wide open. It's a record full of different emotions and dizzying highs, but it's also one you can simply put on and jam to. It rips. You can hear shades of artists like MJ Lenderman, Big Thief, and Adrianne Lenker, but what makes Hound so exciting is the unique voice Tyler Mabry and Harley Phillips have developed together. You can hear the collaboration between them; this is music written by two people who know each other deeply.

That relationship is also changing. After finishing Hound, Mabry and Phillips realized they needed to pump the brakes, step away from writing, and rediscover who they were as friends outside of hey, nothing. It's fitting for a record that sounds so confident while coming from two people still figuring out what the roots of their band are and where they might lead next. Now part of a new generation of Athens music—a community where everyone seems to play in each other's bands, go to each other's shows, and lift each other up—hey, nothing bring that same welcoming, communal feeling to Hound. They're still near the top of the iceberg, but they're digging down, and the most exciting part is imagining just how deep they might go.

OnesToWatch: You have a new record coming out tomorrow called Hound. You’ve been an amazingly fun band to watch as you've started to bubble up. I loved the Maine EP, and on this record you've taken the foundation of those early tracks and turned it into this incredible full-length with so many different emotions and highs. Even though it hasn't been that long since you started putting out music as hey, nothing, so much has happened. What feels different between then and now?

Tyler: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, we're so young that time moves really fast anyway, and I feel like we're different people and different songwriters than we were even six months ago, so that already is just a really insane thing.

But Maine specifically, I think, at least for me, was the most honest we'd ever been with ourselves while writing a song, and it's also, I think, maybe the most successful song we've had. I think maybe there was some internal pressure that I didn't even really know about while we were writing the record that helped push the record in more of an emo-folk direction. Just because we were like, "Oh yeah, we were honest and emotional, and that worked super well."

There's something deep down inside that I feel like was saying, "Oh, now we have to make something that's super, super emotional and sad, and that's what's gonna resonate." But with that, I also think we kind of let go as well and let the record find itself. I do think that absolutely influenced the way it sounds and the way that it is.

What's so cool about the record is you can put it on and just jam to it. It rips. I hear some of the artists you've talked about, like MJ Lenderman, Big Thief, and Adrianne Lenker, but the two of you have such a unique voice together. You've known each other and made music together for so long. What's it been like to keep learning from and surprising each other as the band has grown?

Harley: Yeah, I mean, like any relationship, it goes through many different phases. At some points we're inseparable and spend every single day and every single minute together, and sometimes we go a month without seeing each other and we text occasionally.

But I think we are currently finding the balance of what really works for us in terms of how much time we spend together, how much writing we do together, and how much writing we do apart. As far as the learning goes, I feel like every day I learn something new about you. I think what helps, too, is every day you make me laugh, and every day you make me think about something different.

I hope that never, ever stops because I think that's where the passion comes from, and that's where all the fun comes from.

Tyler: Honestly, I don't think we've written together since the record's been finished.

Harley: Yeah.

Tyler: I think it's been kind of a healthy thing because, for a while, or just over the last couple years, even though we were spending so much time together, I feel like there was always an underlying pressure of, "Oh, you need to be doing something," or doing something for the band.

It sucks to say, but I do think it had an effect on our relationship with each other. It was just embedded in the nature of our relationship. Over the last few months, since the album's been done, we've kind of stepped away from the actual writing side of hey, nothing. I think we're still super creative about it and working on the rollout of the album, but it's been really nice to just focus on each other as friends.

We watched The Bear together a couple nights ago and want to go to a Braves game tonight. It's been really fun to rekindle our natural friendship, and I'm excited to see the music that pulls out of us for the next record or the next project.

Harley: Yeah, I feel like after the record we needed to pump the brakes a little bit and, like you said, just figure out who we are as friends again. That's where the music comes from.

Tyler: That's where Maine came from, and that's where Hound came from, too. But it was definitely more stressful, and we were overthinking so much.

Harley: Yeah, for sure.

Tyler: But yeah, we're trying to almost refigure out what the roots of hey, nothing are.

That's really interesting, because now you've gone through the entire process of writing and recording an album and you're in the rollout. You mentioned overthinking things. Do you think making Hound taught you what not to stress about next time?

Tyler: Yeah, we're really excited for that rabbit hole.

Harley: Yeah.

Tyler: I think it's gonna be different. I think it's gonna be a lot different.

The album is called Hound, and "Hound" is also the first track. It's such a killer kickoff to the record. There are so many meanings to that word—when people hear "hound," what do you want them to hear?

Tyler: I feel like the first word that always comes to my mind is just "ferocious." I think, honestly, there's a lot of humor in it for us because we're not ferocious people.

But I think it's kind of about this false sense of confidence—or maybe not false, but almost like you're supplementing your confidence and convincing yourself that things are okay and that you're happy and a super able person, even if your brain sometimes tries to convince you otherwise.

At least that's what it's kind of about for me, or that word specifically. It's really making the choice to love and making the choice to be kind in general, and also be confident in yourself and do all that you can to be the best version of yourself.

Harley: Well said. Yeah.

You mentioned overthinking things, but this is a really confident record. It sounds like a band that's been doing this for a long time.

Tyler: That's very kind. Thank you. That is so good to hear.

I think part of that comes from the collaboration between the two of you. You can hear music being written by two people together, and that extends to the track with Bea Porges. How did that song come about, and what was it like having her as a guest?

Harley: Well, Bea is one of our very best friends. Me and Bea spend a lot of time together. We all spend a lot of time together. But recently, when "Long Time Labor" was coming about, me and Bea had been on and off kind of writing some things together and thinking about writing a full track.

Then I had the basis of "Long Time Labor." I had the chorus and the first verse, and I just didn't really find myself going anywhere with it. I said, "You know who could finish this and who can really make it a great song? Bea."

And she did. I sent her what I had, and I was like, "Hey, would you think about writing something to this?" Maybe an hour later—it was a very, very quick turnaround—

Tyler: A whole demo of it.

Harley: Yeah, and it was so perfect. I had no notes, and I wasn't really surprised because she's one of my favorite songwriters ever. But it just fit in so well.

Also, being able to have her sing it and sing it with us, it felt really special to me just to have her be a part of that process, because she's lovely and I love her so much.

Tyler: I remember, too, before we even started making the album, a long time ago, we were hopping between producers and showing them old demos that would never even make it on the record. The whole idea for the album was that it would be something that feels super community-based and something where you could have people in our Athens music community come and contribute.

I'm super happy that it's her because she's so awesome. I think she was the perfect Athens musician to come in and put a little Athens sparkle on it.

I'm glad you brought up Athens, because there's so much musical history there. I just finished Peter Ames Carlin's R.E.M. book, which gets into that history and the community around those bands. What's it like being part of this new generation of Athens music?

Tyler: It still doesn't feel like we would be a band in the future history of Athens, Georgia. I don't think I can say confidently that we would be, but maybe we would.

But it's such an honor. I think this city is so great. It honestly feels like the roots of the music scene that was here in the '80s and the '90s have maintained. It hasn't really changed; it's just developed into this community that we're a part of now. It's super inspiring, too. There are so many bands that came out of here.

Harley: It feels really special to be a part of, too. When we first moved here, we did kind of feel like we were on the outside looking in, and now—

Tyler: We're on the inside.

Harley: Yeah, we're on the inside. Pretty much all of our friends here are in bands, or in each other's bands, or doing music to some degree. It feels really special to be able to go over to your friend's house and they've got the same equipment that we do, and all of our houses look very similar on the inside.

You get to tour with them and go to their shows and talk about your life as a musician. It's just a great feeling to know that you're understood by all these extremely talented people.

That's what I've always loved reading about the Athens scene—that sense of everyone being in each other's bands, going to each other's shows, and being part of the same community. I haven't gotten to see you live yet, but your music gives off this really welcoming, "we got you" feeling. Is that something you want a hey, nothing show to feel like?

Harley: I hope so. Everyone is welcome except for cops.

What's something you would tell yourselves when you were first starting out, knowing where you are now?

Harley: I don't know, because I feel like the learning is so important. It's so essential. Sometimes I think I wouldn't change a thing.

Tyler: Maybe that's what you'd tell yourself. Learning is essential, and the pain is good for you later.

Harley: Yeah. I think I would say, "Keep going. Keep going." Also, maybe you're super gay and super non-viable. Certainly, I'd give him a heads-up.

Tyler: I'm trying to think. I feel like I'm on a similar thing where I kind of think younger us should just take their course, because now we get to do this, right? I wouldn't want to accidentally butterfly effect it.

Harley: Yeah.

Tyler: But I'd probably give them a swift kick in the ribs and just be like, "Don't be a tool. Don't be an idiot."

Harley: Yeah, I would tell them, "Be alone or be a hound."

Tyler: "Be alone, be a hound." Yeah, that's good.

Who are your OnesToWatch?

Harley: We just went to a Buck Meek show.

Tyler: Saw Buck Meek, yeah. Literally.

Harley: Oh my God, I'm tearing up thinking about it. Oh my God. I love Buck Meek so much.

Tyler: I mean, all our Athens homies. 

Harley: Bea Porges, Hotel Fiction, Hall Pass. Crisis Crew. Oh my gosh. If you're not listening to Crisis Crew, you are going to be in the next year because they are going to be huge.

Tyler: There's this fella named Renny Conti who makes really cool music.

Harley: I've been saying Renny Conti.

Tyler: A really small artist named Willow. Oh, and Prewn!

Listen to Hound below: