Emerging from underground venues in Chicago’s Northwest side, NE-HI made its name on both its live energy and cleverly wrought guitar anthems. NE-HI have announced their second album Offers (out 2/24 on Grand Jury), and share the video for their first single, “Stay Young,” directed by Weird Life Films. On Offers, the band takes those basement-forged instincts and refines them; lets its guitars explore new angles, and focuses its songwriting. The result is, we daresay, a stunner if not a statement that there is a wide range of post-punk possibilities yet to be explored.
Born in Chicago’s vibrant DIY scene during the summer of 2013 – specifically within the walls of now-defunct basement venue Animal Kingdom – three friends from college, Jason Balla (guitar/vocals), Mikey Wells (guitar/vocals) and James Weir (bass) linked up with drummer Alex Otake with the purpose of scoring a friend’s film, which resulted in the formation of NE-HI. They tapped into what Balla calls the scene’s “wild, young energy,” playing go-for-broke at its home base. But quickly the band’s disparate influences — Wire’s post-punk, Springsteen’s everyman anthems, along with echoes of dreamy atmospheres of Dave Roback’s Rain Parade and the jangly buzz of Kiwi pop legends The Clean began burning through.
Offers drones, it captivates with soaring pop, it shimmers with atmosphere, always changing, looking. It finds the distant influence of forebears in cerebral guitar pop presented with a familiarity that typifies great FM rock hits. The Midwestern boys (two from Chicago, one from Wisconsin, and one from Minnesota) in NE-HI have a knack for knitting something comfortable and warm from those art school cast-offs and cult favorites. NE-HI’s music demands to be lived in.
NE-HI TOUR DATES
Tue. Jan. 10 – Nashville, TN @ High Watt w/ American Wrestlers
Wed. Jan. 11 – Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn w/ American Wrestlers
Thu. Jan. 12 – New Orleans, LA @ Hi Ho Lounge w/ American Wrestlers
Fri. Jan 13 – Houston, TX @ Raven Tower w/ American Wrestlers
Sat. Jan. 14 – Austin, TX @ Sidewinder w/ American Wrestlers
Sun. Jan. 15 – Dallas, TX @ Three Links w/ American Wrestlers
Wed. Feb. 22 – Ft. Wayne, IN @ Brass Rail
Thu. Feb. 23 – Kalamazoo, MI @ Shakespeare’s Pub
Fri. Feb. 24 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
Sat. Feb. 25 – Cincinnati, OH @ MOTR Pub
Wed. Mar. 1 – Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room
Thu. Mar. 2 – Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge
Sat. Mar. 4 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
Sun. Mar. 5 – Milwaukee, WI @ Riverwest Public House
Fri. Mar. 10 – Lexington, KY @ Cosmic Charlie’s
Tue. Mar. 21 – Memphis, TN @ Hi-Tone backroom
Wed. Mar. 22 – Birmingham, AL @ The Syndicate
Thu. Mar. 23 – Asheville, NC @ The Mothlight
Fri. Mar. 24 – Durham, NC @ Duke Coffeehouse
Sat. Mar. 25 – Richmond, VA @ Hardywood
Mon. Mar. 27 – Washington, DC @ DC9
Tue. Mar. 28 – Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA
Thu. Mar. 30 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right
Fri. Mar. 31 – Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Upstairs
Mon. Apr. 3 – Kingston, NY @ BSP Kingston
Tue. Apr. 4 – Albany, NY @ The Hollow
Wed. Apr. 5 – Rochester, NY @ Bug Jar
Thu. Apr. 6 – Lakewood, OH @ Mahall’s
Fri. Apr. 7 – Columbus, OH @ Spacebar
Sat. Apr. 8 – Detroit, MI @ Marble Bar
Tue. Apr. 19 – Denver, CO @ Hi Dive
Wed. Apr. 19 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
Thu. Apr. 20 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux
Fri. Apr. 21 – Spokane, WA @ The Bartlett
Sat. Apr. 22 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza
Tue. Apr. 25 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
Wed. Apr. 26 – Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Bar
Sat. Apr. 29 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
