#FeatureFriday Hey, I Loathe You! by Hey, ily!

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“On Hey, ily’s new record, the band wants you to walk away with at least this one takeaway: you must face the hurt head on, or it will continue to hurt forever. With that, the band’s sophomore effort Hey, I Loathe You! is a victory over pain, grief, and hate. The album was written in a two-and-a-half-year span, in which the group faced upsets, betrayals, and sudden changes. Throughout listening, you are navigated through, and exorcised of, the feelings that stem from these events. By the end, Hey, ily realizes that, while it’s okay (and even good) to have these emotions, you mustn’t try to run away from them, but rather face them” – Bandcamp

Let me tell you, I love it when a band challenges me in attempting to describe their sound as it’s very telling of their creativity and the unique nature of their output. And such is the case with this week’s ‘Feature Friday’ pick Hey, ily!

Sure you could say that their base sound is essentially the 2000’s era Post Hardccore sound embellished with some synths that mirror Anamanaguchi’s quirky chiptune melodies and you wouldn’t be wrong. But you’d also be hugely undercutting them for all the creative ideas present here that elevate this album way beyond the confines of that descriptor.

They can sound as angry as mewithoutyou, as whimsical as Anamanaguchi or more dreamy and open for their more introspective songs. But then there’s also room for a sick breakdown or even an epic horn section just as well. I love this type of eclecticness in an album on the condition that the album sounds as cohesive as I’d expect an album to sound. And despite the breadth of sounds on offer here they manage to easily bypass the mixtape-vibe pitfall with some well thought out arrangements.

It kind of feels like an epic lofi-infused Punkrock Opera at times the way it ebbs and flows and interweaves its many disparate influences into a singular whole that seems to tell a story, at least sonically. Very unusual for what is essentially a Punk album but it works so well. It at times captures that sense of grandeur that a My Chemical Romance would possess in their later work making this an essential listen if you want your Punk to challenge your expectations.

Eveyweveydevey

So I’ll have to say this, this album is bursting with ideas, melodic intent and arrangements that swerve expectations but is it me or is everything really saturated? Maybe it’s my earphones??? My earphones? I mean, once your ears get used to it you can get to the meat of what’s happening here. It’s like a toddler’s musical fever dream. Now that might sound like a criticism but it most certainly is not.

These songs live on instinct and creativity. It’s crunchy as hell in many ways. Each song takes every opportunity to find the right melody and the arrangements are intricate and intelligent.  It almost feels like someone following you who is constantly waiting for a chance to nudge your ankle with a carefully weighted baseball boot, not quite to trip you up but to knock you out of your groove. And it works.

Overall this punk/emo/metal/pop/hardcore/chiptune hybrid works really well. It has enough variety as to keep the whole thing interesting. Especially as you go deeper into the album. Definitely worth a 2nd or 3rd listen.

Untidy Music

The first thought that came to me when I listened to “Hey, I Loathe You!” by Hey, ily!, was “that is a strange sound”. Followed almost immediately by the second one; “What is up with these lyrics?”.
The overall sound on this album is Pop Punk, sometimes bordering on Hardcore. Crunchy guitars, quick drums and plenty of synths provide the canvas for melodic and screamed vocals. The soundscape is incredibly full and busy, but the mix cleanly separates all the elements, with vocals and synths serving as the connective tissue for the most part. Effects like distortion are used liberally, but always in a way that makes sense for the storytelling.

And this is where the album shines for me. Musical ideas, different vocal techniques and tempo changes fully support the lyrics, which speak about personal topics like body image issues, abandonment, compulsive behavior and loneliness; with an occasional dash of societal collapse in the background.

I have to be honest, I was very surprised by this album. The tone is a lot more somber and mature than the sound indicates at first glance. Musical ideas that support the storytelling are plentiful, and yet everything feels cohesive, energetic and fun. This is absolutely an album that I can fully recommend.

Florgoth

Updated: May 15, 2026 — 4:59 am

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