Ever wonder what would happen if Artic Monkeys and Tame Impala had a love child? Allow us to introduce you to HYMMJ as we invite you to celebrate the world premiere of their debut single.
“Music is everywhere in Berlin”, says drummerย Max Jรคnnerwein. And the drive to differentiate themselves from the crowd translates into the bandโs debut single โGuillotine.โ If you donโt believe us, check out the hypnotic video:
The members of HYMMJ (an acronym for Have You Met Miss Jones? โ weโll explain later) are all a rare breed of unicorns known as โechte Berlinerโ or โtrue Berliners.โ Born and raised as citizens of this idiosyncratic, art-infused city, the group prides themselves on throwing everything theyโve got into their music.
Band is life, band is love
โIโve got a sticker on my pedal board that says โthere is no plan B,โ and thatโs become my motto,โ explains vocalist/guitarist Sรถnke Piet Flucke. โThe band is plan A, and thereโs really nothing else to life at the moment.โ
The band has been around, as an idea at least, since Sรถnke and Maxย were still playing in the sandbox together.
โI remember sitting next to [Sรถnke] in Kindergarten and we said, โletโs start a band,โโ Max says.
โThen when we got older and learned our instruments, we would play in the upstairs room at Maxโs when no one was home, and after a few hours the neighbors would start coming over to complain,โ Sรถnke adds.
In 2013 the pair snatched up bassist Elias Weber and keyboardist Samuel Gestrich, and they fulfilled their kindergarten dreams.
Real McCoy – Echte Berliner
โI canโt imagine if weโd grown up in a small town,โ Max says. โMusic is everywhere in Berlin; it makes it so easy to meet similar people and grow as musicians.โ
โThere are other artists here to look up to and get input from, so those connections help you improve,โ says Sรถnke. โBut that also makes it hard, because there is a lot of competition with how many bands there are and everyone wanting to play concerts. Itโs possible to get lost in this huge music scene.โ
Who the hell is Miss Jones?
โMiss Jones is everything, and nothing, for whoever,โ Max says.
โWhen you first read it you think itโs a woman, but weโve kind of moved away from that idea,โ Sรถnke explains. โItโs more like solving for โxโ in math; we ask the question to everybody and everyone can find their own Miss Jones. It might be a desire or feeling, maybe a person, or band or music. Weโre asking the listener what are they searching for.โ
You can catch HYMMJ at their next gig with Israeli psychedelic-rock group Tiny Fingers at cassiopeia on May 24.ย