Nottingham-based five-piece Hhymn started as a duo in 2008, when Ed Bannard and Simon Richie joined forces to make acoustic music before recruiting long-term friend Mike Wynne on drums, Amy Helliwell on glockenspiel, organ and trumpet and Will Jeffrey on bass.
Since then they’ve been gaining plaudits and airplay on the BBC, among other places, mainly on the back of a brace of self-released singles and well-received live appearances. Given their earthy, organic textures and soaring harmonies, comparisons will undoubtedly be made with the likes of Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver and there are hints of both outfits in this sublime collection, but on their debut album it becomes clear that Hhymn’s influences stretch much further into the English folk tradition.
Along with guitars – both electric and acoustic – and voices, they utilise all manner of instrumentation including zithers, mandolins, ukuleles, harmoniums, dulcimers, double basses and brass, all to impressive sonic effect
The single ‘Girl Of Mine‘ is sublime and quirky, with oddball time-signatures and stabs of brass, while ‘Slow Life’ with it’s, um, hymn-like quality does indeed recall Fleet Foxes in their better moments. Elsewhere, the jangly country-ish ‘Light Of The Moon’ veers towards Americana, albeit with an indie heart – a kind of Cowboy Junkies meets Belle & Sebastian – while the mandolin-driven ‘Papertrail’ is another highlight. By all accounts they are a powerhouse live prospect – and I can vouch that this is certainly the sort of fare that is guaranteed to have the crowds hopping up and down at festivals. In The Depths is a very fine record.