(MSO) The Los Angeles-based musical pair known as Uh Huh Her--singer/producer/multi-instrumentalist Camila Grey (Lead Vocal/Keys/Synth/Guitars/Programmed Drums) and musician/actress Leisha Hailey (Vocals/Synth)--will release their debut album Common Reaction August 19 via Nettwerk. Produced by Al Clay (Pixies, Blur, Pink), the 11-song offering captivates the listener out of the gate from the opening notes of its pulsing debut single "Not A Love Song," for which the duo just wrapped a surreal video with the production team Draw Pictures (Depeche Mode, The Bravery, Franz Ferdinand, Mark Ronson). Expect the clip to debut soon.
Remarkably, the roots of their golden musical touch only date back to 2006, when CAMILA and LEISHA met by chance at a party. Says CAMILA: "Leisha cold-called me some time after and said, "Hi, do you want to start a band?" As I was phasing out of my previous group I was open to it. We met and instantly clicked." After just two rehearsals, the girls flew to New York to play their first show as UHH to a packed crowd that included a number of industry execs. Our first showcase was crazy," she remembers. "We were literally thrust from making demos in a bedroom studio to playing for a sold out crowd."
The duo released a strongly received debut EP I SEE RED (2007). Issued through its own imprint, Plaid Records, with the help of Nettwerk, the EP included early renditions of "Explode" and another COMMON REACTION inclusion, "Say So." That urgent, contagious holdover--the first song Grey and Hailey ever wrote together--is a celebration of devotion ("You say that you're broken/I just want to fix you") that sounds even stronger in its new enhanced form.
On the strength of their EP and word of mouth, UH HUH HER has played sold-out shows from Los Angeles to New York and London. "We're definitely grateful for the fans we have in place," says GREY--a veteran of L.A. indie outfit Mellowdrone and a professional musician who's worked with diverse performers including Busta Rhymes, Dr. Dre and Kelly Osbourne. "We'll never take it for granted. It's because of our fans that we've been able play huge venues like the Shepherd's Bush Empire in London to a sell-out crowd.
