High Jump: From Bedroom Demos to Sonic Heights – Unveiling Their Debut EP ‘001’

London indietronica duo High Jump are set to make a splash with their eagerly awaited debut EP, *001*, releasing on June 7th. The brainchild of Harry Martin and Rick Holland, this EP has already garnered praise for its “atmospheric and richly textured soundscapes” (DMY) and its “intoxicating haze of funk-fueled, psych-soaked dance pop” (Atwood Magazine). Mixed by acclaimed engineer Max Cooke, 001 offers a unique blend of lo-fi electronics, jangly guitar lines, and catchy vocal melodies, bridging electronic dream-pop and indietronica.

High Jump's sound, influenced by artists like The War on Drugs, Cocteau Twins, Jai Paul, and Toro Y Moi, captures both intimate moments and grand, ambitious layers. The EP explores themes of over-nostalgia and resistance to change, reflecting a period of significant personal and creative transition for the duo. With a strong foundation built on press and radio support, including features from Earmilk, Louder Than War, and BBC Introducing, High Jump is primed to captivate listeners and make a lasting impact with their vibrant and introspective music.

1. Your sound has been described as “atmospheric and richly textured soundscapes” and an “intoxicating haze of funk-fueled, psych-soaked dance pop.” How did you develop such a unique blend of influences and styles in your music?

Most songs start on the guitar or piano, but the production style is always influenced by what we're listening to at that moment, on top of the core set of influences. We also bring slightly different musical backgrounds to the process: Rick definitely hones in on a lot of the funkier sensibilities from his experience playing drums in Tungz, which makes an interesting blend when combined with Harry's shoegaze-y guitar palette.

2. You’ve cited a wide range of influences, from The War on Drugs to Cocteau Twins, Jai Paul, and Toro Y Moi. Can you elaborate on how these artists have shaped the sound of your debut EP ‘001’?

Seeing the War on Drugs live in Berlin back in 2022 was what pushed Harry to start writing music again after a bit of time out - the attention to detail on their nostalgic guitar tone and phrasing in particular was really inspiring. We took a lot of inspiration from Cocteau Twins and Jai Paul in terms of their vocal delivery and mix, as well as the fact that they manage to blend euphoric and melancholic in a really captivating way. The jangly guitars on Avenue owe a lot to Cocteau Twins, and you can trace the gated guitar sound on Get This Down back to the Paul Institute too, for example. Our second single CLIIAL was initially much more ornate production-wise, but the minimalistic groove of Toro Y Moi's album Outer Peace inspired us to strip back the instrumental and focus on the TR808 backbeat at its core.

3. The EP ‘001’ was crafted from demos sent by Harry to Rick and evolved through ad hoc studio sessions. Can you describe the creative process behind these tracks and how working with Max Cooke at Snap! Studios enhanced your music?

The whole high jump project started with our first single M2K, which is probably a good example of our creative process. Like most of Harry's demos, the song was initially just a couple of minutes long: intro-verse-bridge-chorus. Rick tidied up the verse melody and the feel of the drum groove, Bobby Holland added some additional bass lines, and we pretty quickly had a full track that was close to the finished version. Once we'd worked on the song's transitions and finished the production, we sent it to Max Cooke to mix, where the song really grew that extra 10% and leapt from laptop feel to something you can blast on a soundsystem.

4. You mentioned that the EP explores themes of over-nostalgia and the impact of big life decisions. How do these lyrical themes reflect your personal experiences and what message do you hope listeners take away from the EP?

I think most people can empathise with a tendency to rose-tint everything that's happened in the past, but it's a dangerous mindset to get stuck in. Each track embodies a different aspect of the general notion that the past is nowhere to live.

5. high jump has received significant support from the press, international radio, and major streaming platforms. How has this recognition influenced your approach to making music and what can fans expect from your upcoming releases and performances?

We've been so happy with how the EP has been received! We didn't set any expectations for the release as we were making music for our own enjoyment initially, so the fact that anyone else is vibing with it is an absolutely amazing feeling. It's been interesting to watch how each track resonates with listeners, what works and what doesn't land quite as we expected, and it'll be hard not to let the experience affect our approach to making new tunes. Rick Rubin gave some great advice though which is that making music for yourself will always be the best thing you can do for your audience, so we'll try to keep that front of mind too.

We're planning another EP for late summer/early Autumn - the sound is always changing but listeners will definitely be able to hear continuations of the musical and lyrical themes in 001, as well as new threads. Live shows in the same timeframe too, so lots to look forward to!