hey, nothing Celebrated Release of New Album Hound in Athens, Georgia’s Most Intimate Theatre
- Mary Beth Bryan
- 10 hours ago
- 2 min read
Years of friendship and sentimentality coalesced into one beautiful evening of music this past Thursday at the release show for hey, nothing’s long-awaited sophomore record, Hound. The show was announced just a few days ahead of time, and it sold out in a blink.
Dozens of people packed into Athens’ sweatiest venue, Flicker Theatre, for the celebration. The Unbelieving Dog, headed by local band member extraordinaire Iain Cooke, took the stage first. Though Cooke’s band is relatively new, it's become a fast favorite in the scene, proclaimed by hey, nothing as “the best band in Athens.”
Cooke’s songs have a certain personability, with hooks and harmonies that keep your ears perked and endlessly endearing lyrics. There’s definitely a kinship to be found there with hey, nothing’s music. This was among the final shows ahead of The Unbelieving Dog’s debut record release in early September, so it was special to hear these songs one last time in their living, breathing forms before they enter the digital space.
hey, nothing took the stage shortly after, starting their playthrough of the record with the title track of Hound. The album strikes a very fine balance between tenderness and total screamers, and the live rendition of this song was definitely of the latter variety. Glasses were rocked off of faces; roses were thrown to the stage. For a few of the mellower tunes, fellow musician and album collaborator Bea Porges joined the band on stage to lend additional vocals. It felt like a real family affair.
The bond between lead members Tyler Mabry and Harlow Phillips is the undeniable heart of hey, nothing. Their years of companionship bleed through every song, particularly in the touching moments where they sang songs written for one another. They shared a salty kiss on the forehead after one song, Mabry joking that he “shouldn’t have used tongue.”
After playing through the album the band offered up a final course, this time the classics. “Maine,” “Too Drunk To Drive, “Sick Dogs,” and “The Sink” were among them. For the last of these, Phillips warned “Sing along. I’ll be offended if I don’t hear you,” and the crowd happily obliged. They ended by bookending the set with another performance of “Hound” that resonated even deeper the second time around. Chants of “be a lover, be a hound” filled the room.
It was surreal to see hey, nothing play such an intimate show, considering how far they've come in their career. With plenty of touring, hundreds of thousands of fans, and a handful of successful singles and EPs already down since their debut album, We're Starting to Look Like Each Other, released in 2023, this sophomore album was totally worth the wait.
