Her’s: Remembering the lost duo that redefined indie
Hit play, and it hooks you instantly. The introduction alone for ‘What Once Was’ is legacy-making as the debut single from Her’s should have made them the biggest name in indie through their talent, not through tragedy.
One of the most exciting things about music is its ability to outlive the moment in which it was made. Once a song is released, it never really disappears. Paintings can end up hidden away in archives, and films can drift into obscurity, only occasionally resurfacing in arthouse cinemas or late-night TV schedules. Music, though, is always there. Thanks to streaming services, songs from any era are only a few clicks away, waiting to be discovered all over again.
Especially with the role social media plays now, we’ve seen songs be picked from obscurity and sent to the top of the charts decades later. Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’ had that, so did Jeff Buckley’s ‘Lover You Should’ve Come Over’, but it has happened for niche songs too. Escape From New York was an under-the-radar electro band that never broke through, but decades later, their 1984 track ‘Fire In My Heart’ saw a huge spike in streams.
Looking back at the 2010s, plenty of artists who might have faded away once the Tumblr era ended have found a second life on social media, and in recent years, Her’s have deservedly been among them. But they were never just some overlooked cult duo. From the moment they released ‘What Once Was’ and ‘Dorothy’ in 2016, there was already a sense that they were onto something special. I remember hearing the people who always seemed to be ahead of the curve talking about them at university. At pre-drinks, those songs were constantly on repeat, and when ‘Speed Racer’ arrived in 2017, it only added to the excitement.
The indie kids were tracking their race, packing out their shows as the duo began touring the country, growing that attention as they moved from cultish favourites, to critical indie darlings, and finally to clear, bona fide stars on the rise as Heist Or Hit not only signed them, but reshaped themselves around the band, seeing that duo as the ultimate example of where they were headed.
They thought that because the band also seemed like a sign of where indie itself was going. The classic band thing of the early 2010s was changing. Acts like Peace or Swim Deep or early The 1975, who defined that moment with their rock and roll meets slacker, stoner swagger, were looking to change too. As all of them scattered into looking towards different niches, adding in more elements of electro or straight pop, Her’s emerged already in their own nuanced lane.
You can tell that simply from their setup. With only a guitar and bass, they were already outside of the classic band setup, especially in their live shows, when something they’d even abandon that, or be taking it in turns, manning a drum machine, get on just one of their MacBooks. But when you listen to their songs, you’d never guess that. They sound full and thorough, or in the case of more lo-fi offerings, they sound rich still, interestingly languid and at once both fresh and endlessly nostalgic.
Thinking about their inventive use of gear, it now feels a little reminiscent of Mk.gee, whose unconventional guitar setup famously left Eric Clapton baffled, despite being relatively simple. Like Mk.gee, Her’s were simply finding unusual ways to use the equipment they had. They proved that a small lineup and modest setup could still produce rich, distinctive sounds, and the indie world took notice.
Overwhelmingly, though, listening to the music Her’s left behind before their tragic deaths in a car crash in 2019, you can hear the signs of everything that has come since in indie. Across both Songs Of Her’s and Invitation To Her’s, there is every colour from classic indie pop, heavier rock moments, darker, klitchier elements or richly cinematic songs like ‘Medieval’ which has already stood out as a gorgeous and elevated highlight to me.
Even without that knowledge of how indie would expand so far beyond the classic band, it was clear that Her’s were destined to be at the forefront. Upon the musicians’ deaths, their label said, “Musically, Her’s were astonishing. An aptitude for melody, fun, and entertainment combined with a complexity that was as sophisticated as it was stylish,” adding, “The world was at their feet.”
But without them, the world has shaped in their image. The dynamic sound of Her’s releases look now like a blueprint for the various hits and bands that popped up once they were gone, as it was really no surprise to anyone that ‘What Once Was’ would have its posthumous moment as the band bottled the balance of timelessness and newness that stays fresh forever and made them legends with their legacy living on.
