The first time I listened to The Hics, I was a sophomore in high school. The year was 2013 and the UK duo, comprised of Sam Paul Evans and Rox Barker, had just come out with Tangled - EP, a 4-track compilation of moody, jazz-influenced, electronic soul music.
It was my first experience with genre-bending. The albums I had been listening to in rotation at the time were Acid Rap, Modern Vampires of the City, and For Emma, Forever Ago. Although great albums, each one fell into a specific category, whether that be ‘rap’, ‘indie-rock’, or ‘acoustic songs that make me cry’. The Hics were the first group where I realized I didn’t have the words to label them.
Following their 2013 EP, the duo released one song in 2014 then disappeared. I thought that maybe they had retired or parted ways due to artistic differences. As the years went by, I’d return to their EP yet I was disheartened, convinced that I’d never hear from them again.
Then, on October 16th, 2020, to my delight, they posted a 26-second snippet of an unreleased song on their Instagram. A few months later, in January 2021, they were featured on a single by Dreamville’s Bas. Finally, on April 15th, they released their first single in seven years. A remake of David Bowie’s Man Who Sold the World, the duo dissected the glam rock song, keeping the notorious guitar riff in but converting it into a slow-burn soultronic track.
In short, I’m excited for what’s coming next. To The Hics: if you’re reading this, please never do that to me again.
Listen to ’Man Who Sold the World‘ below:
Listen to the ‘Tangled - EP’ below:
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