HWY – ‘Come Up’
While Manchester might be a city renowned for its indie output, that doesn’t mean it’s the city’s only musical export. It’s always been a creative breeding ground for artists, musical or otherwise, and though bands such as The Smiths and The Stone Roses put Manchester on the map, it’s a hotbed for hiphop, punk, rap and alternative rock as well.
The latter is where HWY come in. Pronounced as highway, the five piece formed in 2019 with their main focus being blistering riffs and hugely anthemic choruses. The band aren’t afraid to shy away from the genre’s softer elements either, using electronic elements to imbue their music with a sense of ambience as they explore their tracks’ dynamics.
Their debut single ‘Come Up’ is no exception, three and a half minutes of blistering alt rock that veers from introspective to anthemic across its run time, it’s a bold statement of intent from a band who have felt plagued by setbacks since their inception.
“We genuinely came to believe we were cursed” the band explain “and ‘Come Up’ serves as a reminder that we’ve got to stick with this until the end. This is genuinely all we’ve ever wanted, and the only aspect of our lives we’ve ever had a passion for. We chose this as our debut single to remind ourselves, and the world, that we aren’t going away.”
It’s a bold statement from a band with big ambitions. But it’s also a believable one. Bold and brash, but also uplifting, ‘Come Up’ is the sound of a band on the cusp of big things, and you can expect to hear much more over the coming months.
