Hew Don’t Resolve the Contradictions — They Just Turn Them Over

Hew formed in Houston in 2024 when Lindsay Minton and Mercy Harper — the songwriting core of football, etc. — decided they wanted to make something different. They brought in drummer Amador “Moe” Lerma and bassist Kris Hoffman, and what came out of it is unmistakably an emo band but not a revival act. Nobody here is referencing a specific era. The songs are tighter and more deliberate than football, etc., with bigger melodic hooks and a rhythm section where bass and Bass VI interlock and pull against each other in ways that shift the center of gravity mid-song.

“Reconciliation” is the second single from their debut LP Your Version, due on Tiny Engines this July, and it does what Hew does best — leans into tension rather than releasing it. The lyrics move through family fracture and the long tail of memory, where what happened and what it meant don’t line up. The band sits inside those contradictions and turns them over. Angular guitars, a gritty rhythm section, and hooks that bloom into yearning harmonies when the song needs them to. Flood Magazine premiered it and called it a ritual of hope, which feels right.

Fans of Lemuria, Tigers Jaw, Sweet Pill, and Snail Mail should find their way here without much trouble. This is one to watch. Pre-order the album below when it goes live.

Pre-order Your Version ↗