London indietronica duo high jump (aka Harry Martin and Rick Holland) has catapulted into the music scene with their eagerly anticipated debut EP, simply titled 001. Mixed by the acclaimed Max Cooke, this EP weaves warming lo-fi electronics with bright, jangly guitar lines soaked in modulation, and melodic, catchy vocal hooks. This unique blend places the record somewhere between the realms of electronic dream-pop and indietronica, crafting an auditory experience that feels both intimate and expansive. The duo delves into themes of over-nostalgia and the impact it has on our present, exploring the resistance to change during pivotal life moments. This introspective journey is underscored by the high jump’s kinetic blend of inspiration and expression, capturing the essence of their identity in this vibrant snapshot.

001 is a dazzling debut that showcases their atmospheric and musically rich soundscapes. From the opening track ‘M2K’, the EP transports listeners into a world where cozy bedroom vibes meet the grandeur of professional studio production. The duo’s influences range widely, from The War on Drugs and Cocteau Twins to Jai Paul and Toro Y Moi, creating a sound that’s both familiar and refreshingly new. With each track, they reach new heights, blending intimacy with ambition and setting the stage for many more releases and performances in the coming months. This is just the beginning for high jump.

“Over the last couple of years I (Harry) was writing and sending unsolicited demos to Rick, drummer in the band Tungz. Rick managed to cherry-pick the most promising of these through a series of long voice notes and ad hoc studio sessions, and we soon had a collection of songs that felt significant enough to share. Starting with ‘M2K’ at the end of 2023, we decided to start putting some ideas together and broadcast these tunes further than our friendship group.

The sound of the collection is really an anecdotal summation of our influences and the music we’ve enjoyed recently. We didn’t set out to achieve or replicate any specific sound and there’s a blend of influences in there, from The War on Drugs and Cocteau Twins to Jai Paul and Toro Y Moi. We love the counterbalancing senses of scale we’ve managed to capture in these six tracks. All of them started in bedrooms and huddled corners of our day-to-day, and there are plenty of moments where you can feel that intimacy, but working at Snap! Studios with Max Cooke to finish the recordings really enhanced the more ambitious sections with extra layers of grandeur and finesse.

 Lyrically the EP trails and explores different layers and perspectives of over-nostalgia, digging into how this can affect our appreciation of the present. This collection of songs was written at a time when big life decisions and junctures were arriving at an uncomfortable pace, which probably explains how this feeling of lament and resistance to change percolated across the EP on various levels.

These themes also bleed into the high jump ethos. It’s a kinetic blend of inspiration and expression, and we wanted to relay this snapshot of our identity on that exact premise. Taking inspiration from fashion cycles and seasonal variations, we set out to epitomise ourselves in a specific moment. That’s what makes this stage of the high jump evolution so exciting, and we can’t wait for 001 to be an introduction to the many releases and performances we have planned for the coming months.”

Follow high jump on Instagram.