Artist
Her’s
Liverpool, United Kingdom • 2015 – 2019
Her’s is a music group from Liverpool, United Kingdom, active 2015–2019. Their discography on Gatefold includes 2 records.
2
Albums tracked
8
In collections
2015
Since
Biography
Stephen Fitzpatrick and Audun Laading met while they were both students in Liverpool, bonded over a shared obsession with weird thrift store finds and a cheap, battery-powered drum machine that basically became the third member of the band. Most duos try to hide the fact that they’re playing along to a pre-programmed beat, but Her’s leaned into the mechanical rigidity of that little box to ground Fitzpatrick’s jangly, chorus-drenched guitar lines and Laading’s melodic, high-register bass playing. It was a bedroom project that sounded like it was recorded in a basement but felt like it belonged on a massive stage in the 80s. They didn't have the budget for a full backing band, so they turned that limitation into their entire aesthetic. The interplay between Fitzpatrick’s baritone vocals and the frantic, crystalline guitar work created this strange, surrealist pop sound that felt both nostalgic and completely alien. It wasn’t just about the music; it was the way they presented themselves as two best friends having a laugh while writing some of the tightest, most heartbreaking melodies of the late 2010s. They were just starting to figure out how to translate that intimacy into something bigger when everything was cut short on that 2019 tour.
The Arc of Her’s
The pivots — what forced Her’s to reinvent.
The Compilation Foundation
Before they dropped a proper debut, they put out 'Songs of Her's' in 2017, which was really just a collection of their early singles and b-sides stitched together to show people what they were doing. You can hear them figuring out the gear in real time on tracks like 'Dorothy' and 'Marcel,' using heavy reverb to mask the thinness of their DIY setup. It established their sound as something rooted in the jangle-pop tradition but filtered through a modern, lo-fi lens. The record caught people off guard because it felt like a fully formed identity right out of the gate, even though it was essentially a glorified demo reel.
The Invitation Period
By the time they got to 'Invitation to Her's' in 2018, the production sharpened up significantly without losing that signature quirkiness. They moved into more sophisticated songwriting, incorporating elements of bossa nova and 50s doo-wop into their indie-rock framework. The drum machine stayed, but the textures around it became more lush, particularly on 'Harvey' and 'Under Your Hood.' This was the moment they proved they weren't just a gimmick band with a funny stage presence, but serious students of pop melody who knew how to write a hook that stayed stuck in your head for weeks.
Influences
- The Smiths — Fitzpatrick cited Johnny Marr's shimmering, multi-layered guitar work as a primary blueprint for his own playing style. You hear it in the clean, chorused-out arpeggios that define almost every Her's track. It's that same British jangle-pop DNA but with a much sunnier disposition.
- Mac DeMarco — The band toured with him early on and leaned heavily into the 'slacker-rock' ethos and pitch-bent, warped synth sounds he popularized. The influence is undeniable in their laid-back vocal delivery and the DIY, slightly off-kilter production style. They took his blueprint and injected a more romantic, 80s-inspired synth-pop energy into it.
- Pizzicato Five — In multiple interviews, they pointed to the Shibuya-kei movement and specifically Pizzicato Five for their approach to high-concept, kitschy pop. It explains the bossa nova rhythms and the playful, almost cartoonish aesthetic they brought to their videos and live shows. They shared that same sense of calculated, stylish fun.
- The Cure — Robert Smith’s bass-heavy compositions and the use of the Fender Bass VI are mirrored in Audun Laading’s lead-bass approach. On tracks like 'Speed Racer,' the bass isn't just holding down the low end; it's carrying the melody exactly like Simon Gallup did on the early Cure records. It’s that post-punk foundation hidden under a layer of bright pop paint.
- Ariel Pink — They’ve referenced his lo-fi, AM-radio-from-another-dimension production style as a major touchstone for their early recordings. You hear it in the way they use slightly out-of-tune synths and degraded vocal effects to create a sense of false nostalgia. It’s that 'hauntology' vibe where the music sounds like a memory of a hit song that never actually existed.
Discography
Their records — most-collected first.
Related artists
Around the web
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