His His - “Underdogs”

Toronto-based Aidan Belo, aka His His, has completely won us over with the lo-fi and heartfelt “Underdogs.”

This one begins with the distant rhythm of a drum machine, but quickly opens up to reveal some acoustic guitar and vocals. And as soon as this happens, you will understand why we had to feature “Underdogs” on the blog. There is an authentic and retro vibe occurring here that is due, in part, to His His utilizing an old cassette recorder, but this sound is becoming increasingly difficult to find in modern recordings, which, as far as we’re concerned, is a tragedy.

Belo penned the track upon visiting his hometown and witnessing older properties being developed into luxury townhomes. And because he created His His in “an attempt to evoke something rural and honest,” we can totally understand the pain of watching the future erase the evidence of the past. But even if you did not know any of this, “Underdogs” has the sort of honest and raw emotion that quickly nestles itself beneath your skin.

The manner in which His His records his music harkens back to the early work of Elliott Smith– not in sound, but in execution– as he uses layers to build the production on tape. We truly believe that the lack of any modern, digital manipulation suits this sound very well and we cannot help but want more of it. You are bound to feel the same once you hear “Underdogs.”

-TM