Remembering Her’s: Daydreaming of the Dream-Pop Duo

One of the worst things about finding a new band is finding them too late. Her’s werHer’s were a Liverpool, One of the worst things about finding a new band is finding them too late. Her’s were years ahead of their time with raw emotional lyrical arrangements and dreamy-pop instrumentals, making the perfect combination for a soundtrack of a coming-of-age film. Stephen Fitzpatrick from Britain and Audun Laading from Norway, met as students at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. With two projects under their belts, they were making a mark in the industry and beginning to find a wider audience. With their sound dominating listeners' playlists in the United Kingdom, it was time for their second trip around America with their 2018 album Invitation to Her’s. While travelling to a show in Santa Ana, California, the duo was involved in a road accident where they tragically lost their lives alongside their tour manager, Trevor Engelbrektson, on the early morning of March 27, 2019.

While brainstorming my writing process for this article, it was important for me to appropriately capture the essence of the band while respecting their loss. When I think of the band of Her’s, the one thing that instantly comes to mind is that they were able to connect with millions of hearts world wide. They were lost far too soon in this world, due to an unfair tactic—while travelling on the road with their minds and hearts racing from previous nightly shows that week, and excited for what’s to come—they were met with an unfair advantage. A tragedy that will encourage listeners to keep Songs of Her’s and Invitation to Her’s in a constant loop to fill that void and keep their sound alive. Her’s were a band with a wild future ahead of them—they were to be one of United Kingdom’s upcoming indie rock bands.

The entire discography from Her’s is one of a kind. From their vibrant guitar melodies and deep groovy bass beats, Her’s was not only dazzling the audience with their unique sound, but also using their sound to inspire artists in their hometown community of Liverpool. Stephen Fitzpatrick and Audun Laading were able to capture compelling stories within all of their lyrics, while maintaining an appropriate reflection of their words through instrumentals. Their songwriting abilities will always amaze me as every time I listen to one of their songs, I notice something I didn’t realize was there before. It was hard to only pick a few songs, however, I managed to break down a few of my favourite tracks from Her's discography below.

“What Once Was”

This song had been referenced by the band as a sad tune that reminisces on the passing of a family member. It’s even harder to listen to this song now after the loss of Her’s, as the lyrics are so emotionally tangled together that it creates a sense of intimacy directly with the listener. I believe this is the song that made me realize after their passing, that the band of Her’s is now the band of Our’s and we will carry on their voice. Fitzpatrick sings about wanting to know all of the “important stuff” about another person—implying that from knowing all of the little things that build the character of a lover, like their favourite colour, attaches a sense of intimacy and trust between two people.

“Cool With You”

A groovy and undeniably sweet track that encompasses the essence of companionship. The lyrics convey the idea that if two people have each other, they don’t need anyone else. Fitzpatrick sings that their love is so strong for this other person, that they would be okay living life only knowing one another. As he sings, “We don’t have to go anywhere at all”—usually a couple may go out on a date, however, here he is saying that he enjoys his partner’s presence so much that he’d rather stay with them than go anywhere else.

“Dorothy”

One of my favourite tracks off of their album Songs of Her’s. Even though the song is telling the story of a possible mystery relationship, in hopes of keeping the romance a secret from the world, it is still one of the most romantic songs that I keep on loop.

“Marcel”

The breezy intro to this song gives me all types of butterflies every time I hit play. To me, “Marcel” is a song about the interchanging meeting between the emotions of love and confusion. All those mysterious thoughts that run through your head while you try to figure someone out. While you think you can read people so easily, confusion comes knocking at Love’s front door and introduces new emotions about how you may feel about that person.

“Don’t Think It Over”

A more in-depth, up-beat instrumental vibe—however, the lyrics may tell a different story. The song touches on the idea that a person is worried that they are slowly losing their significant other. Their partner has been distant with them and now they are overthinking and obsessing over why they may be losing them. It’s an utterly, brutally honest song. However, the instrumentals manage to deliver a subtle groove, which makes you really not want to worry about the things that you cannot control.

“She Needs Him”

This is definitely one of my favourite song’s from Her’s, as the lyrics had me on a rollercoaster of emotions the first time I heard them. The 80s instrumental aesthetic paired with Fitzpatricks’ soft vocals, truly captures the idea of unrequited love throughout the song. He wants to be with someone who is already in another relationship, wishing that he could have a chance with her; however, he knows due to his insecurities, he would never make a move regardless. Don’t we all have a soft spot for unrequited love songs?

“Blue Lips”

Speaking of unrequited love—Her’s delivers to us another set of lyrics depicting unreciprocated romantic relationships. The term “blue lips” can be torn apart in many ways—the most common being lack of oxygen to the body as well as discoloration to the body due to hypothermia. The connection between these “blue lips” and an unrequited love, is that somebody is going through a loveless relationship, emphasizing the distance and coldness coming from their partner. This song allows listeners to appreciate the ups and downs of this hallowing relationship. 

Finding my way through the discography of Her’s and relistening to some of my favourite tracks as listed above, it is apparent that Her’s produces raw authentic stories surrounding romantic themes that we all, at some point or another, will endure in our lives. Her’s created love songs for all the hopeless romantics out there, as well as those who may find it difficult to believe in the power of love. With so much music ahead of them, the power of Her’s was able to deliver their musical genius to us through timeless pieces of artwork. We have witnessed artists passing away suddenly, however, the tragedy of Her’s was undeniably shocking as they were so young with the world at their feet. I urge readers to not only listen to their music, but to also watch live performances of Her’s to visually see the magic that they created. We are forever grateful for all of their work and will keep their sound alive until the end of time.