NE-HI was a four-piece rock band from Chicago. NE-HI formed to score a friend’s film in the summer of 2013, the foursome—made up of Alex Otake, James Weir, Jason Balla and Mikey Wells—recognized the chemistry between its four members and chose to continue making music.[1] Between that time and their breakup in 2019, the foursome toured the Midwest and East Coast, including a set at the Pitchfork Music Festival. They proved to be a group of promising musicians.[2][3]

NE-HI
Background information
OriginChicago, Illinois
GenresRock
Years active2013–2019
LabelsGrand Jury Music, Manic Static
MembersJason Balla, Alex Otake, Michael Wells, James Weir
Websitenehimusic.com

Known for their energetic stage presence, NE-HI opened for Car Seat Headrest[4] and the American Wrestlers.[5] NE-HI's self-titled debut album was released in 2014 on Manic Static.[6] In the Chicago Tribune, Greg Kot listed Ne-Hi as #4 in his top ten local indie albums list of the year.[7] Despite being a fairly new band, sites like Noisey,[8] Stereogum,[9] and Paste[10] have taken notice and consider the band to be "the best of what's next".[10]

The band's second album Offers was released February 24, 2017 on Grand Jury Music.[11][12] To help promote their second album, OFFERS, the band toured with Whitney,[13] Chad VanGaalen,[14] Twin Peaks,[15] The Drums,[16] as well as performed in the Pitchfork Music Festival[17] and at SXSW.[18] The second album has also garnered a lot of buzz from various media outlets, Dan Hyman writing for the Chicago Mag praised the band's ability to "balance the turbulent and the tranquil".[19] With the increasing popularity of the indie band, members continued to perfect their sound, while staying true to their roots, as noted when the album was reviewed as part of Bandcamp's "Album of the Day" report.[20] The lead single, Stay Young, has been a favorite of reviewers, due to its liveliness[21] and accompanying music video,[22] a feature guitarist Jason Balla says was an intentional allusion to Chicago,[23] "With our city's reputation for wind, it only seemed fitting that we bring some winds of change to the video.[24]" Paste Magazine's Zach Blumenfeld also points out the noticeable evolution of NE-HI's sound from the first to second album, comparing the first to "cookie dough"[25] and the second to "a delectable batch of baked goods".[25] On the song, "Sisters", David Anthony from The AV Club admires the band's "attention to detail"[26] when composing their "tightly constructed"[26] yet "effervescent"[26] songs.

Discography

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  • 2014: NE-HI
  • 2017: OFFERS

Singles

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  • 2017: Stay Young
  • 2015: Turncoat
  • 2015: Drag
  • 2014: Since I've Been Thinking

References

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  1. ^ Gancayco, Josh. "NE-HI Releases New Track and Tour Dates". Culture Collide. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  2. ^ Warwick, Kevin (24 June 2015). "Best band primed to break out this year". Chicago Reader. Sun-Times Media. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  3. ^ Moreland, Quinn (8 May 2019). "NE-HI Call It Quits, Share Final EP: Listen". Pitchfork Media. Condé Nast. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  4. ^ "NE-HI and CAR SEAT HEADREST | First Avenue". first-avenue.com. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  5. ^ "Ne-Hi w/ American Wrestlers". Dallas Observer. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  6. ^ "R E L E A S E S". MANIC STATIC. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  7. ^ Kot, Greg. "Best of the Chicago indie albums of 2014". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  8. ^ "PREMIERE: Fall in Love with Ne-Hi, the Nicest Boys in the Midwest". Noisey. 2015-08-21. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  9. ^ "Ne-Hi – "Drag" (". Stereogum. 2015-07-07. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  10. ^ a b "NE-HI: The Best of What's Next". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  11. ^ "Grand Jury Music | Releases". grandjurymusic.com. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  12. ^ Kaye, Ben (16 November 2016). "Ne-Hi announce sophomore album Offers, share video for lead single "Stay Young" — watch". Consequence of Sound. CoS. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  13. ^ "NE-HI @ Rose Music Hall with Whitney, Sissy Paycheck in Columbia, MO". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  14. ^ "NE-HI expand tour, including dates with Chad VanGaalen and Whitney". BrooklynVegan. 12 July 2017. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  15. ^ "Twin Peaks announce tour with Ne-Hi". BrooklynVegan. 2 March 2016. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  16. ^ "The Drums - Tickets - El Club - Detroit, MI - July 31st, 2017". El Club. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  17. ^ "Pitchfork Music Festival: Day Three in Review". Third Coast Review. 2017-07-17. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  18. ^ "What We Loved At SXSW On Tuesday". NPR.org. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  19. ^ "Ne-Hi's Offers Balances the Turbulent and the Tranquil". Chicago magazine. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  20. ^ "Album of the Day, NE-HI, "Offers"". Bandcamp Daily. 2017-03-20. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  21. ^ "Breaking: NE-HI". FLOOD. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  22. ^ "Soundcheck: The 35 Best Music Releases Of The Week". NYLON. 2016-11-19. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  23. ^ "NE-HI Talk Upcoming Release Offers, Queen, and Everything on the Horizon - Features - Impose Magazine". Impose Magazine. 2017-03-15. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  24. ^ "NE-HI Takes The Windy City Literally In Video For 'Stay Young'". NPR.org. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  25. ^ a b "NE-HI: Offers Review". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  26. ^ a b c Anthony, David. "NE-HI gets in the summer spirit a little early on "Sisters"". News. Retrieved 2017-09-29.